The Rise of the Gray Lord
by TheDarkestAngel16
Summary: Harry prepares for the future after the events of his Fifth year. With the help of Dumbledore he begins training himself in both light and dark magic. Hhr eventually, new author, still in transition possess.
1. Letters and A new Resolution

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor anything related to the Harry Potter franchise.

AN:_ So for those of you who have read this fic before, I have gone through chapters 1-14 and edited and re-written some things so as the story flows better. This is my first fan fiction, and I think it is blatantly obvious when looking at these first few chapters. The second reason for this re-edit is that I felt that I could do more to make this fic just a tiny bit more original (or closer to the books, either way…) I like to consider my original postings 'rough drafts' and that this is the final. I hope you enjoy._

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Chapter 1:

**Letters and A new Resolution**

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The late June sun burned high above the residents Privet Drive. It seemed everyone was either out enjoying the heat or staying home and keeping cool. The sounds of young kids playing in the street echoed off of the walls of the houses while neighbors chatted happily in their back yards, sipping instant lemonade. It was a perfectly normal summer day on Privet Drive and it seemed the weather had brightened everyone's spirits. Except for one young man who sat at his desk in his bedroom on the second floor of #4 Privet Drive. He had sat there for almost an entire week, moving only to go to meals and to use the bathroom. This young mans name was Harry Potter.

He had spent the week since his arrival back at his "home" trying to just comprehend all that had happened during the last month. First and foremost on his mind the recent death of his Godfather Sirius Black. Sirius had been a father, older brother, and friend wrapped all in one. He felt, and rightfully so, that he had just lost his last piece of his family. Well, not exactly true. Mrs. Weasley, his best friend's mother, had practically adopted him as a seventh son. Even so, she always wanted to mother him and protect him when what he really wanted and needed was for someone to be open and honest with him. And in the end, she was Ron's mother, not his. Sirius had always been looking out for him, even when he was on the run. Hary's thoughts drifted to his fourth year when Sirius and Buckbeak had hidden out in the cave near Hogsmeade and had lived off of rats just so he could be nearby incase something happened.

His musings were cut short with the arrival of an owl bearing the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. He paid the owl and glanced at the front page.

_**He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Strikes!**_

_Early this morning ministry employee Darell Grendel was found dead in his home along with his wife Kristine and their two sons Carl and Chris Grendel. The dark mark was seen hovering above the home when Aurors arrived. It appears that the Grendel family was just sitting down to dinner when the attack happened. It has been determined that all occupants of the home were killed by the Killing Curse. It is unclear why the Grendels were targeted, as Mr. Grendel worked in muggle relations department.. The oldest son, Chris, was eleven and was going to attend Hogwarts School of..._

Harry did not need to read any more. His first thought was surprise. He hadn't felt so much as a twitch in his scar since the incident at the Ministry of Magic, so either Voldemort was keeping low, or he was blocking his mind off from harry. He was also surprised to find that the emotion he felt was not sadness, but anger. It was not right that these _people_ were allowed to just wander around killing at will. Someone had to stop them!

Then it hit him.

He was the one who had to end this. He had no choice in the matter. 'I suppose I should have realized it long before I heard that damned prophecy,' he thought to himself. 'After all, the first war ended with me, and the second began with me. It really does follow that I should have some responsibility in ending it. The prophecy just solidifies my destiny.' His thoughts drifted to the prophecy that Dumbledore had revealed to him after Sirius's death.

What concerned him most were the last two phrases:

_One must die at the had of the other_

_For neither can live while the other survives_

That phrase, '_one must die at the hand of another' _intrigued him. Did that mean that he could only die by Voldemort's hand? Did his death Eaters count since they followed his orders? 'No, then the prophecy becomes pointless because then the same would apply to me. If that were the case, I would order Dumbledore to kill him and not deal with it myself.' That led to a whole string of thoughts and questions about his possible immortality when it came to his Death Eaters. 'Could I die then? How would that work? Could I actually take another Killing Curse and live?'

And then there was the part about some power the 'dark lord know not.' Dumbledore said it was love. Well, everyone has love, so obviously that couldn't be the whole story. Either the headmaster was hiding something from him, or he was merely taking a guess. Besides, if, as Bellatrix said, spells like the _Cruciatus_ require hatred, how was he supposed to destroy someone with love? It all sounded a bit dubious to Harry, but he didn't have much else to work with. One thing did stand out though, he needed to learn more, more than what was taught in the standard curriculum at Hogwarts. Indeed, he needed to know more than what the Aurors were taught. He would have to take his education into his own hands. After all, it was apparent that their training wasn't enough to effectively confront Death Eaters and their Lord. Harry couldn't guaranty that anything he learned by himself would help defeat Voldemort, but it was always better to do something than nothing. Again he was brought out of his musings by a small ball of feathers slamming into his torso.

"What the hell!" he yelled, swatting at the thing that had hit him. The ball of feathers fell to the floor after taking a direct hit from Harry's hand, but quickly recovered and soon began racing around his room. Realization dawned on him as he watched the creature twitter around the small bedroom.

"Pig, get over here!"

The hyperactive bird starting circling around Harry's head before he was able to snatch the owl out of the air. Holding the small bird in one hand, Harry untied the letter from Pigwidgion's legs and released the bird as he sat back at his. Pig flew over to Hedwig's cage, disturbing the said owl who happened to be sleeping at that moment. Harry could not help but smirk at Hedwig's obvious disdain for other small bird as Pigwidgeon drank greedily from Hedwig's water dish. Still smirking, Harry turned his attention back to the letter in his hands. Just from the messy scrawl on the front of the envelope Harry knew the letter was from Ron. Unfolding the parchment, Harry read the letter.

_Harry,_

_Hey mate, how are things with the muggles? Look, I know you and I know you're blaming yourself for Sirius's death. I want you to know that it's not your fault. Mum's not sure when we will be able to get you out of there, but it sounds like it won't be until after your birthday. You should have seen mum when we got home from the station! She yelled at us for a good half-hour about how reckless we were being, etc, before she broke down crying. Mental, I tell you! I swear, I will never understand her sometimes, or any female for that matter. I won't be able to write you for a while, my family is going on a trip to spend "quality time" together. Apparently Percy has approached Dad at work and apologized so mum arranged this trip so we call all 'get to know each other again.' I still think Percy is a git, but mum and dad are happier now that he has apologized, so I guess its ok. I apparently can't tell you where we will be going in case Pig got intercepted. Hope your not mad, but security and all that I can tell you that it is too far to send an owl, at least the owls we have, and that where we are going there are a lot of the things you have a model of from the tournament. Well, mum's yelling at me to de-gnome the garden, so I have to go. Don't let life get you down. _

_I hope to see you soon,_

_Ron_

Judging by the hint left by his friend, Harry figured Ron and his family were probably going to Romania where Charlie worked with dragons. A smile crept onto his face as he thought about the Weasly family. Ron was the first, no third friend he had made in the wizarding world. Third because Hagrid and Hedwig were truly his first two friends. Ron was a good guy at heart and had a great family. Yeah, they had had their arguments, but overall they had a good friendship. The Weasley's as a whole were probably the best thing that had ever happened to Harry. The family was not that well off but what they lacked in money they most definitely made up in spirit. There were the twins, Charlie, Bill, Ginny, and of course Molly and Arthur. He loved them all and got along great with them. Well, almost all of them. There was still Percy, but it looked like things might work themselves out there. Harry knew that he could count on the support of the family. There was that little issue of Ron's jealousy that seemed to get the better of him in their fourth year, but he seemed to have gotten over it though, and was now, once again, a very good friend. Of course, as his thoughts were on his friends, he could not help but think of his other best friend, Hermione Granger.

She was the voice of reason among the three of them. She was also probably the most good, decent human being that Harry knew, if sometimes a bit pushy (ok, very pushy). Her heart was always in the right place though, if S.P.E.W. was any indication. They did not always see eye to eye on some issues, but she always looked out for him and had been a good, loyal friend even when he had been an ass all last year and during his third year. The thing is, she always seemed to be right, from Snape in their first year to the broom incident in their third year. She was the best friend one could ask for, though she sometimes got carried away in her efforts to help everybody. The greatest proof Harry had of her friendship was when she accompanied him to the Department of Mysteries. She knew it was a trap, they both knew Voldemort would be there, but she came anyway. And for that, she almost died.

With that thought in mind, he grabbed out a piece of parchment and a pen (he did not want to deal with a quill at the moment) and began a letter that really should have been written a while ago.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I know I don't usually send letters, but there was something that I wanted to get off my chest. I wanted to thank you for all your support last year, even when I was being a giant prat. I also wanted to let you know how sorry I am for the whole Ministry fiasco. You were right, as always, that it was a trap. Though, in my defense, Professor Dumbledore had never given me reason to suspect that the visions might have been fake. I suppose that the only good thing to have come out of this is thatI have definitely learned my lesson: Always listen to Hermione. I can't begin to tell you how scared I was when Dolohov hit you with that curse. I was so afraid that you were, well, dead. Your friendship means a lot to me and I realize that I have not shown how much I appreciate what you have done for me. Hell, I never realized how much you have helped me until now. I suppose I should do this introspective stuff more often. You have always been (don't tell Ron this as he was first) my best friend. I may have not realized this before, but it has become clearer to me now. I know that we have not always seen eye-to-eye on issues, but you have always stood by me and have always looked out for my best interests. I hope you will forgive me for my mistakes._

_- Harry_

He quickly rolled up the parchment and tied the note to Hedwig and sent her off to the Hermione. He grabbed another piece of parchment and wrote a quick letter to Ron.

_Ron,_

_It's good to hear that the family will be going to spend some time together. God knows your family needs some quality time together. Don't worry about the muggles, they are behaving after Moody's threat. Enjoy your trip with your family. Hopefully we will be able to go to Diagon Alley together before Hogwarts. I think you should try to accept Percy back, as we can waste our time bickering among ourselves, given the situation. Have fun on your trip!_

_- Harry_

He gave the letter to Pig and sent the small bird on his way on his way back to the Weasley's. He then prodded Hedwig awake, who agreed to take Hermione's letter only after he had given her an owl treat. After both birds had flown off into the distance, he just sat their, staring out the window. He did not address his feelings about Sirius in his letters because, quite frankly, he did not know what he felt. He thought he should feel guilty, that it was his fault. But he could not. Deep down, he knew he was a pawn and that he had been manipulated. He blamed Voldemort, who orchestrated of the entire fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. He blamed Bellatrix Lestrange since she was the one who had pushed him through the veil. Mostly though, he blamed Snape and, to a lesser extent, Dumbledore.

He needed to talk to the Headmaster. Changes needed to happen, and soon. He was not going to let something like that ever happen again. He had to defend his friends and the rest of the Wizarding world. He would not be manipulated again and he sure as hell was not going to be beaten. He needed to take action, and to do so, he needed to work with Albus Dumbledore.

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AN: Yay! The re-editing of Chapter one is complete! Not much change, but I didn't expect much. My goal has always been to clean this fic up, so I hope that I have._


	2. Many Discussions

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

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Chapter 2:

A Discussion with the Headmaster

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Headmaster Dumbledore,_

_After doing a great deal of thinking, I realize that there are some things that we need to discuss, both about the past, present, and future. I also have a few requests that I want to make. I will not say more in this letter as it may be intercepted. Please let me know when we can meet._

_Harry Potter_

Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard looked at the letter he had just received from Harry. He had a fairly good idea of what the boy wanted to discuss, but he was unsure if he would be able to accommodate. He would try, however. He owed Harry that much. Grabbing a sheet of parchment, the aging headmaster jotted down a reply.

"Fawkes, I need you to take this to Mr. Potter." Nodding his head in understanding, Fawkes grabbed the letter in one of his claws and disappeared in a burst of flame.

R-o-t-G-L-

(A day earlier)

It was only two days since Harry had sent his letter to Hermione when he received a reply. When Hedwig had returned, she also carried a response from Hermione. Tying his letter to Dumbledore onto Hedwig's leg, he sent her off again. Once Hedwig had left, Harry tore open the envelope that contained Hermione's reply and began reading.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm so glad you decided to write me. I was afraid that you might withdraw and ignore Ron and me. It truly does mean a lot to me that you wrote first. I am also honored that you consider me your best friend. However, I can't forgive you since really, there is nothing to be forgiven. I knew what I was doing when I followed you to the Ministry just like I have known what I was doing whenever I have followed you on some dangerous adventure. Yes, you were a bit insufferable at times last year, but who wouldn't be with having a dark lord visiting your head at night? However, I know you and I know you wont be happy until you have heard it, whether or not I think it is necessary. So, I forgive you. Now, with that out of the way, there is something that I feel you need to hear, otherwise you will probably be beating yourself up over it._

Here Harry knew what was coming. He was tempted to just stop there, but he knew he would have to deal with it eventually, so he decided to continue reading.

_I know you are still hurting about Sirius, and that you probably think that it is partially your fault. _('Well' he thought, 'I did think it was my fault.')_ Like I said, I know you Harry. I can't stress this enough: IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. It was Bellatrix and Voldemor'ts fault, not yours! I know you miss him Harry, and I want to help you. If you ever need to talk to anyone, you know I am available. That is all I am going to say on the matter since that is all that needs to be said. Now, with the depressing topic out of the way, I was wondering if you knew when we might receive our OWl scores? I really do hope that the examiners curve the score for our astronomy practical, seeing as how two of our teachers were assaulted right in front of our eyes..._

Hermione's letter continued for another paragraph on describing how well she thought she did on her OWLs. After skimming through that, he continued with the end of the letter.

_Did Ron tell you about his family going on vacation and Percy? I really think they of all people need it. I wonder how Mr. Weasley was allowed the time off with all that is going on, but I am sure the Ministry and Dumbledore have their reasons _(Harry could not help but snort at that last comment. He made a mental not to himself to re-educate his friend on the fallibility of authority). _Anyway, for the summer my parents and me are going to go to Paris for a couple of weeks! My mom promised me that we would be able to visit the Parisian wizarding world while we are there. I hope to be able to see you and Ron before school starts, but my parents really want us to spend time together since I skipped out of our skiing vacation. Well, I know you probably won't have much fun with those deplorable muggles, but try to keep your chin up. _

_I was talking to my mum and she said that maybe you should try writing in a journal? It might allow you to vent some of your frustration so you are not as explosive as you were last year. Well, I hope you are doing okay and I hope to see you soon._

_Your (apparently best) friend,_

_Hermione_

Harry could not help but smile as he read her letter. Like always, she was trying to help him out. 'Maybe a journal would not be a bad idea. I really don't want to have a repeat of last year. Besides, my friends deserve a little slack from my temper. That, and I have better targets to focus my, what did Lestrange call it, Righteous Anger? Yes, there are better targets, like her. And Tom Riddle. And Snape. Perhaps Malfoy also. Both of them. Maybe I should start a journal with a list of people?' Harry continued on that track of thought for a few more minutes, listing all the people who had wronged him significantly in his mind. While possibly productive, this had the unfortunate side effect of making his anger surface, which also brought about the desire to do something about those people.

With that, he kicked open his trunk and pulled out his charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration books from the past 5 years. Tossing them on his desk with some parchment, ink, and a quill, he threw himself onto his chair and got down to reviewing.

It was dinnertime the next day when Harry had taken a break from his review. Aside from sleep and the occasional bathroom break, he had been studying practically non stop. While it wasn't the most entertaining thing he had ever done, he had been productive. He had just finished reviewing his year 3 charms books and was now working on defense. He knew that there would definitely not be any information on destroying Dark Lords in these books, but Voldemort was not his only concern. He did have Death Eaters to consider, and they tended to be around Voldemort a lot. To be able to deal with the Dark Lord, he had to be able to get to him first. That was why Harry Potter was now busy re-reading his fourth year defense books and notes.

He was just about to get up to eat when a flash of fire off to his right caught his attention. Diving off his chair he flung himself across the room and pointed his wand at where he had seen the fire.

An amused looking Fawkes had flown to his desk and was at this moment watching Harry make a fool out of himself.

"Hello Fawkes." Harry said as he stood up, straightening his clothes and trying to look as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. "What can I do for you?"

With a twinkle in his eye that looked disturbingly like the one that was sometimes found in Dumbledore's eyes, Fawkes held out one his talons that gripped a rolled up piece of parchment. As soon as harry reached his desk, he put his hand out and the great flaming red bird dropped the parchment into Harry's hands. With a few notes of phoenix song, Fawkes disappeared in another burst of flame. Harry unrolled the parchment and took a look at what Dumbledore had to say.

_Harry,_

_I will beat your residence tonight at 7P.M. sharp._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Taking a quick glance at the clock, he noticed that it was already 6:30, which was practically too late for dinner here anyway. Knowing that the Dursley's would have already eaten his share of food, he decided to stay up in his room for the next half-hour before the headmaster arrived and clean up a bit. Harry really had not seen much of the Dursley's over the summer except for when he came down to eat. They had been, for the most part, content to pretend that he did not exist and he reciprocated the same. Since they were holding up their part of the agreement reached at the train station, Harry had held up his and had been sending letters to the order every three days. All in all, it seemed to be a good arrangement.

It was funny, really, how the Dursley's behaved once he got home. He could tell that they wanted to yell at him and blame him for everything that was wrong in their lives, especially this summer. Apparently, Dudley had been expelled from Smeltings. Seems he bullied the wrong kid, something about the daughter of one of the Regents. Of course once they realized it might be interpreted badly by Harry and his watchers if they started yelling at him for it, his aunt and uncle merely passed the blame off to the girl, making snide comments about the girl being a hussy and having a grudge against Dudley. After all, their Dudders was such a fine and upstanding young man. Harry had to literally run out of the room holding back his laughter when he had heard that. Vernon and Petunia were so blind to Dudley's failing that they could walk in on him smoking a cigarette and drinking whiskey while kicking around puppies and they would create some excuse for his behavior, no doubt something along the lines of the puppies deserving it and forcing him to drink.

He glanced back at the clock and saw that is was now 6:59. As soon as his clock 7, he suddenly felt as if he was being watched. Turning around he came face to face with the aged face of Albus Dumbledore.

"Good evening Headmaster," Harry said calmly, trying to hide the fact that the old man's silent arrival had startled him.

"Good evening to you too Harry," he replied cordially. "What did you wish to discuss with me young Harry?"

"Right to business, eh?" the teen replied. "Good, I do not wish to waste time either. I wanted to speak with you since I think we need to clear the air after our last discussion."

"I see. Please, continue." the aged man nodded his head in understanding, taking a seat at Harry's desk while Harry sat on the edge of his bed.

"Well, first of all, while I don't think you made the right decision in withholding the prophecy from me, I do want to apologize for ruining some of your, um, trinkets. It was a bit childish of me and for that I am sorry."

"Do not concern yourself about it Harry. If I may be frank, I know that you have trouble expressing your emotions and I dare say that you were feeling exceptionally strong emotions at the time."

"Yes, well, living at the Dursley's will do that to you." Harry paused for a moment before speak. "About the Dursleys, you explained why I had to live with them, but surely you could have done something to make life a little more bearable here. I can deal with the cupboard, but was it too much to ask for me to get decent meals?"

"I am sorry Harry. I was not aware of the extent of your mistreatment here. I fear I had overestimate Petunia's value of family."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Harry replied sharply.

"You have to understand Harry, while there have been significant social changes recently, blood still counts for a lot in the wizarding world. Despite the bigotry among the purebloods, most magical families, even the muggleborn and half-blood ones, see family as important. I believe the phrase is 'blood is thicker than wine,' or something to that effect. While there are examples where that is not the case, it is a generally prevailing aspect of wizarding culture."

"Uh huh. Well, I suppose that is a start to getting some explanations."

"Harry, I know I have kept too much from you in the past and that, as you may know from experience, things that seemed like a good idea at the time may turn out to not be so good. If you feel that you need an explanation of how I have behaved in your regard in the past, don't hesitate to ask."

"An open door policy now, sir?"

"Yes Harry, I do believe that is the appropriate term."

"Thank you sir. You will have to keep me update on your password though. However, that is for later as I have some more things I want to ask you."

"Fine, fine Harry," the old headmaster replied kindly. "Ask away."

"Thank you sir," Harry said with a quick nod. "Well, first of all, I wish to know, what are the requirements to be a Hogwarts professor?" Albus seemed a little surprised at first, but then composed himself and answered.

"Well Harry, it really depends on which position. They all require, of course, an exceeds expectations or better in the desired field of teaching. There are no specialized classes that need to be taken. When it comes down to hiring, I make my decision based on NEWT scores, experience, and I issue an exam to measure the skills of the applicant." Harry actually looked a bit startled at these facts.

"Really? Then, how did someone like Lockheart get the position?"

"Well, Mr. Lockheart happened to be the only qualified person applying for the position. And Harry, when I say qualified, I mean the only person that came close to meeting the standards. It was decided that, based on his supposed experience, and lack of any more qualified candidates, we would hire him for at least a year and see how well he did. It was the general consensus among the staff that a poorly qualified teacher was better than no teacher. Why, may I ask, the sudden interest?"

"Of course you can ask sir, that is why I requested your presence after all. Any way, to answer your question, I was tossing around the idea of becoming a professor after Hogwarts."

For the second time that evening, Dumbledore seemed surprised. "Really? I thought you were planning on becoming an Auror? I know Professor McGonagall told me as much."

"Well sir, I was, but recent events and information have coerced me to alter my decision. First and foremost, is that, should I actually fulfill my supposed destiny, I am not too thrilled with the prospect of continuing fighting dark wizards for a career. I guess I would if I needed to, but it doesn't fit the sort of life I want. "

"And what sort of life is that Harry?"

"Well, preferably one where I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder for some mortal danger."

"And you really think teaching at Hogwarts will mean you won't have to?" the old man said with a smile.

"Point taken. Still, has to be safer than actively seeking out danger."

"I understand Harry. Were there any other reasons Harry?"

"Actually, yeah, there is. My other reason is that, as you know, I taught the DA last year. And the thing is, I enjoyed it almost as much as Quiditch. It actually gave me a sense of accomplishment, especially seeing how the different students advanced. I suppose the third reason is equally as important. I have decided that I do not wish to work for the ministry. I am sure you can understand my reasoning, especially after the events of last year."

"Completely understandable Harry. I'm sure, given what you have just told me, you can now understand why I have consistently refused to run for the position of minister. However, I must remind you though, that teaching jobs, even the position for Defense Against the Dark Arts, may not be available when you want when you want them to be."

"Yes sir, I am aware of that, but I feel that, should I defeat Tom, finding a job to tide me over until an opening becomes available will not be a problem. Besides, if history is any sort of indicator, I won't have to wait too long for an opening in the position."

"Yes, we do seem to go through defense professors at an alarming rate, don't we? I must say Harry, I am glad that you seem to have come to accept your fame, and perhaps some of the benefits as well." Dumbledore actually was genuinely pleases, as he knew that his fame was a sore spot for Harry.

"Well, I wouldn't say that I accept it, but more like tolerate it. After all, I now know it was not a complete fluke that I survived. Besides, if I actually defeat do Voldemort, then I can actually say that I accomplished it, not my parents." Harry paused to collect his thoughts before continuing. "This actually leads me to my concern of my immediate future, sir. We both know Voldemort is after me, and we both know who's job it is to defeat him. I want you to train me." He held up his hand before Dumbledore could protest. "Yes, I know you are busy, but all I am asking is some extra training on the side. It does not even have to be you, though that is preferable seeing as you have the experience with Grindewald and such."

"I will bring it up with the staff, though I do not think that your request is unreasonable, considering the circumstances," Dumbledore replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Will you be continuing you Occlumency with Professor Snape?"

"No," he replied flatly.

"Harry, I know you two don't get along, but you need to learn how to block your mind. You are acutely aware of your failure to do so and the consequences of that failure. I am sure that if you ask Professor Snape and apologize, he will resume lessons with you," he had assumed a more condescending tone when he said this, making Harry's blood start to boil.

"Headmaster, do you truly blame me for what happened to Sirius? Do you really believe Snape..."

"Professor Snape, Harry." Harry snapped.

"I will call him Professor when he starts acting like one. Until then, he is merely Snape as far as I am concerned. I will not deal with that man anymore than I have too!"

"Harry, you need him."

"Right, just like I needed him last year."

"Harry," the headmaster gave him a stern look, "_Professor_ Snape took time out of his schedule to give you Occlumency lessons. It is not his fault that you chose not to follow through!"

"Hah! Too true Headmaster, I certainly did nothing to follow through on his _lessons_!" Harry glared at the other man before continuing. "That man used this _lesson_ time to continue his feud with a dead man. Did he teach? No. I believe our lessons consisted of 'Potter, clear your mind' and then I would end up on the floor as he brought forward all my worst memories. Did he tell me what to do? No. Did he tell me how to clear my mind, how to keep him out? No. He taught nothing!" Dumbledore actually looked a bit startled to hear this news.

"I am sorry Harry," the old man apologized, have the grace to look a bit sheepish at his mistaken assumptions. "Professor Snape painted a very different picture of events to me. Obviously it was a biased opinion. I had hoped that Professor Snape's professionalism would keep him focused on teaching."

"Humph, like Snape has ever had any sort of professionalism."

"Now Harry, that is not fair. Professor Snape is an excellent potions teacher!"

"Getting defensive Headmaster?" Harry practically sneered. "No, he is not a good teacher, but that is a discussion for another time. It is sufficient to say that I will not be taking Occlumency lessons from him again."

"You still need to learn Harry, if only to prevent an incident like last yea..."

"Don't you dare lecture me on what I need to do! Where were you last year? All I ever heard from you was 'Learn Occlumency Harry'! No explanation, no reason, no justification on why I should have to spend my evenings being humiliated by a man who hates me for things beyond my control! The only time anyone even brought up the possibility that he may try to lure me away from Hogwarts or even plant false memories was Hermione and that was _after_ I had become hysterical with concern over Sirius!" Taking a deep breath and trying to quickly calm down, he began speaking again in a much calmer tone. "Like I said, do not lecture me about what I failed to do last year, for you did no better." Both men sat quietly for a few minutes, trying to get their thoughts together before someone said something to make the already tense air any worse. It was finally Dumbledore who broke the silence.

"I agree that you will receive extra training once you get back school. I also am willing to give you Occlumency lessons myself."

"That is satisfactory. Thank you sir." Harry managed a weak, but honest smile for the headmaster.

"My pleasure Harry. Is there anything else, or...?"

"Actually sir, there is. I was wondering if there was some way for me to train and practice over the summer? I know I don't usually ask for special treatment, but a lifting of the underage Wizardry ban would really be helpful."

"Alas young Harry, I have already brought up the topic with the Ministry. While Fudge acknowledges that you have been telling the truth the past year, he and his administration do not feel it is pertinent for your safety to be using magic over the summer. While I disagree, there is little I can do." Dumbledore seemed almost sad to have to give the news to harry.

"I see. Thank you sir, for all your help." He could not help but a let a little disappointment seep into his voice.

"Well Harry, if that is all…" Harry just nodded in response.

Dumbledore had stood up and was about to apparate when he turned back to Harry, the twinkle in his eye seeming to be working overtime.

"This conversation has reminded me of a magical device I once read about called a Cloaking Charm. It was an amulet that hid ones magical signature from detection spells. I have heard that if one were to look in the right places, they could be found in Knockturn Alley. Of course, this is only rumor and I would never recommend anyone use an illegal device such as that, but if someone _did_ want to go undetected, that would be the way to go." Taking on a thoughtful look, he muttered just loud enough for Harry to hear, "I should ask Alastor about them. Hmm… His watch shift ends at 8 Am tomorrow, perhaps I could catch him then?" With a shrug he turned back to Harry. "Please excuse an old mans mumbling, sometimes I forget there are others in the room."

Suppressing a full out smile, Harry responded "Oh, no problem sire. Completely understandable. Thank you for your time and all the, uh, useful information."

"Oh, no problem Harry, no problem at all. Do have a good summer, and, if you want, we can remove you from this place on August 3rd, if you so desire?"

"That would be great sir! I know why you send me off to this hellhole, but that doesn't mean I like it. "

"Very good then, and quite understandable! Until we meet again Harry. Have a good summer." With that he silently apparated away.

As soon as the Headmaster was gone, a giant, genuine smile, the first one he had since he came back to Privet Drive, graced his face. Tomorrow he was going shopping.

That evening, Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, contemplating the meeting he just had with his favorite student. He knew the anger and hurt Harry felt towards himself was still there, but he hoped that they both had started on the path of repairing their relationship.

"Well Fawkes," he said, addressing the phoenix with a smirk and a twinkle, "it looks as if we will have to keep an eye on our young Mr. Potter. He will undoubtedly be a magnet for trouble this year."

* * *


	3. Day Trip

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 3:

Day Trip

* * *

It was at 7:30 the next morning when Harry awoke to the blaring of his alarm clock. He quickly shut it off, jumped out of bed, and as quietly as he could so as to not disturb the Dursley's, he headed to the bathroom to shower and prepare for his trip to Diagon Alley. Knowing Moody was out there with that damned eye of his, Harry sat at his desk, threw open his transfiguration book so as to appear like he was doing schoolwork. Instead, began a list of all the things that he needed to pick up on his shopping excursion.

_Shopping List_

_1. Robes _

_2. A new trunk, preferably one like Moody's_

_3. Books_

_4. Another wand_

_5. The thing Dumbledore mentioned_

Tucking the list securely into his jean pocket, he glanced at the clock, noticing the time to be 8:30. Pulling open his trunk, he took out his invisibility cloak, the pack he used for carrying his books at school, and one his cloaks that had a rather large hood sufficient enough to hide his face if he adjusted it correctly. Seeing as he had time, he took this moment to organize what was left in the trunk now that he had removed his books. As he was pulling out a bunch of Dudley's old clothing , something sharp at the bottom of his trunk cut the tip of his thumb.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself.

Carefully removing an old shirt that seemed to cover whatever it was that hurt him, Harry found himself looking at the broken pieces of the two-way mirror. He had forgotten about it, forgotten about how he had been angry at Sirius and how he had 'conveniently' forgot about it. If he were to feel guilty about Sirius' death, this would have been why. Could he be blamed for it, for Sirius's death? At that moment he didn't know. There were a lot of things that went wrong that night, a lot of mistakes had been made leading up to that night.

He continued to stare at those broken pieces of glass, fighting down the pain that he had been suppressing for the past few days. 'Damn it, I don't have the luxury to deal with this right now!' Allowing his anger to take control, he chucked the pieces of glass back into the trunk and slammed it closed. He had work to do, and he couldn't afford to obsess about things that had already happened. A quiet chime noise drew his attention, so he turned around and glared at the clock. He started, realizing that he had actually been staring at the mirror for almost a half-hour. Further suppressing his anger and possible guilt for another time, he angrily slung his backpack onto his shoulders and threw on his invisibility cloak.

A minute or two after his clock displayed 9, he heard a crack that signaled Alastor Moody's departure. Keeping an eye out for Order members, he sneaked out the back door and left the yard of #4 Privet.

'Well,' he thought, 'that was far too easy!'

Once he was a good distance from #4, Harry tore off his invisibility cloak and stuffed it into his backpack. Securing his cloak and tossing the hood over his head, he stuck out his wand.

Bang!

A vivid purple triple-decker bus came to a screeching halt right in front of Harry. The door opened and the pimply-faced man that Harry recognized as Stan Shunpike came out. After throwing Harry a suspicious glance, he spoke.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. Fair is 1 galleon and 5 Knuts."

"Hey Stan, I need to take a trip to Diagon Alley." Harry quickly handed Stan the money, he followed Stan onboard and sat down. There was barely anyone on the bus, but those that were there kept tossing him weary looks. It would have once angered Harry to know that someone might actually think he was evil, now he knew better. Wryly he thought 'hell, they might actually have some reason to suspect such things after I am done shopping today.' He sat on the bus for about half an hour as passengers were picked up and dropped off. Finally, Stan called out Diagon Alley and he and about 3 other wizards got off the bus.

As soon as harry entered the Leaky Cauldron, the noise level seemed to drop off significantly. He could not help but smirk, knowing that people could not recognize him under the hood. "Idiots. If I were a Death Eater, I most definitely would not have come in looking conspicuous. Ah well, they have proven time and time again that they are nothing more than mindless sheep anyway.'

"Can I get you something to drink sir?" Tom the bartender asked warily.

Harry just waved him off and continued to walk into the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, tapped the correct bricks with his wand, and entered the shopping district. It was relatively early still, and many of the shops were just opening. Harry however, ignored these places as his first goal was to get to Gringotts. He made his way to the bank completely unmolested and, like the rest of the alley, was practically devoid of customers. Squaring his shoulders and trying to give an air of confidence, he walked straight up to one of the goblins sitting at the counters.

The short creature had its head buried in a ledger and either did not notice his approach or chose to ignore him. After standing there for a minute, he cleared his throat.

"What?" Not surprisingly, the goblin sounded rather annoyed. Unfazed, Harry immediately got down to business.

"I need to make a withdrawal from my account."

"Fine. Name and key."

"Harry Potter, and here is my key" Harry slid his key to the goblin while not breaking eye contact. The goblin gave no indication that his name meant anything and quickly examined the key, apparently checking its authenticity. The short creature paused for a moment before reaching for another, thinner ledger, and began skimming its pages.

"Very well Mr. Potter. However, it says here that there is some business that must be discussed as soon as possible with one of our solicitors. Would you like to take care of that now, or at some other time?"

"Really? Well, let's take care of it now. I don't really know when I will be able to stop by again."

"Very well," the goblin said nodding. "Follow me please."

The goblin hopped down from his stool and came around the front of the counter where Harry was and gestured for the teen to follow him. Harry followed the goblin back behind the front desks. They entered a door and Harry found himself in a room full of comfortable looking chairs that was obviously a waiting area. The goblin turned back to face him.

"Please, have a seat. It will be a few minutes." Harry silently nodded in understanding and took a seat next to a small coffee table with some magazines on it. The goblin that led him there left without another word, almost slamming the door shut behind him. He sifted through the magazines that were on a small end table, finding nothing of interest, he settled on the only one that wasn't about household charms, which was called _Teen Witch_. He proceeded to spend the next fifteen minutes learning all the _fascinating_ aspects of summer robe fashion when he was saved from tedium by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning, Harry saw an older looking goblin looking at him from across the room.

"I take it Mr. Potter you find our magazine selection a bit limited?" the short creature said with a twisted, ridiculing smile. Harry could only nod sheepishly.

"Well, come along Mr. Potter, we have business to discus. You can bring the magazine with you if you like," he finished with another chuckle.

"Err, no, that's alright. Lets just get our business done with," Harry replied as he stood up and followed the goblin through a door and into a small office, where the goblin gestured for Harry to take a seat in the chair across from the desk.

Taking a seat behind the desk, the goblin shuffled through some papers for a few seconds before looking up at Harry.

"Mr. Potter, it is a convenient coincidence that you chose to stop by today. It saves us the trouble of having to owl you. You see, we have in our possession the last will and testament of a Mr. Sirius Black. Mr. Black was the last to hold the Black family name and therefore inherited the entirety of the Black family fortune."

"Excuse me, but I know that there are still members of the Black family alive, such as Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange and as far as I know, Sirius was disowned by the family. Why was Sirius left the Black fortune?"

"Yes, I forget that you are muggle raised Mr. Potter. You must understand that both Mrs. Malfoy and Mrs. Lestrange married and that the dowry they received was their share of the inheritance. As for Mr. Black being the sole heir, since his brother, the first in line to inherit the fortune, is dead and the other surviving Blacks have received their share, the rest passes on to the sole remaining black. There are also some other odd traditions and laws concerning the ancient pureblood families, but they are not important. What is important is that Mr. Black _is_ the sole heir and has left you with a sizable portion of the Black Family fortune."

"Ok, I get that, but how does this work if there is no body? I mean, I doubt the current administration would acknowledge his death." Starting to sound a little frustrated and Harry's lack of knowledge of the Wizarding world, the goblin never the less answered the question.

"A wizards will is a magical contract that is tied to the life of the person for whom the will is written. The fact that the will has, for lack of a better term, 'activated', means that Mr. Black is very much dead. Now, are there any more questions on the history of wizarding wills, or can we get down to business?"

"No, I think we can get started," Harry said, a bit taken back by the goblins increasing rudeness.

"Good. Now, as I said earlier, Mr. Black left you a sizable portion of his wealth, approximately forty percent of his monetary assets were left to you, along with a few odds and ends that are stated in the will. The other half has been given to a Mr. Remus Lupin. He has also passed you and Mr. Lupin co-ownership of the ancestral Black Family Home, though at the present time we are unable to determine its location. There is also a piece of undeveloped property in Hogsmeade that was owned by the Blacks. The ownership of that property was left to be disputed between you and Mr. Lupin."

"I see." Harry took a moment to process this new information before continuing. "So, how much did Sirius leave?" The goblin shuffled some more papers and focused on one before answering.

"Well, it would seem that the amount he left you rounds out to about ten and a quarter million galleons each to both you and Mr. Lupin after transaction fees." At this statement, Harry seemed a bit startled. 'Ten million galleons is a lot, but then, they were 'The Most Noble House of Black,' he thought sarcastically. Harry quickly turned his attention back to the goblin, who had started to speak again.

"There are also a variety of personal effects that both you and Mr. Lupin need to sort through however that will not be mediated by Gringotts. Now, would you like us to transfer your share of your inheritance to your vault or would you like to open a new one?"

"Uhmm, is there space in my current vault?" The goblin chuckled a bit at this.

"Yes Mr. Potter, I do believe your current account is physically large enough for the additional galleons."

"Well, if there is space, just put it in my current vault."

"Very good. Now, I need you to sign these papers stating that you have accepted your share of Mr. Black's fortune and I will need you to sign this sheet which will indicate that you are now co-owner of the Black Ancestral home." He said all this while shoving some pieces of parchment in Harry's direction.

"Is there a problem of me not being of age yet?"

"No Mr. Potter." The goblin seemed a bit frustrated with Harry's ignorance. "The property you are co-owning with an of-age wizard, and the rest of the inheritance is no different than any other Gringotts deposit. Any _more_ questions?"

"Umm, no, sir." 'Okay, someone is grumpy this morning.' Harry turned his attention to the documents the goblin had slid him. Quickly skimming them to make sure he was not signing away his soul or anything, he signed both sheets and handed them back to the goblin.

"Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Potter. Now, if you will follow me, I will show back to the lobby." With that, Harry followed the goblin out of the meeting room. As they were walking towards the lobby, Harry was struck with sudden inspiration.

"Excuse me sir, but I will probably be making some very expensive purchases today. How does one go about that without having to carry around a massive sack of galleons?"

"You will find Mr. Potter than most merchants have money-transfer sheets for you to sign in case of large purchases. As long as they are Gringotts certified, you can be guaranteed that all your transactions in this way are secure and private. Knowing your situation, I can imagine that you may wish some anonymity while shopping. In this case, you can merely write down your vault number and then tap it with your wand to confirm your identity. We do not share any financial information with the Ministry unless we detect fraud or fraud is reported, and then we only contact the Ministry if we wish to press charges."

"Oh, well that makes sense. I don't have to pay for this, do I?"

"No Mr. Potter. The merchant covers all fees associated with the transaction. It's really in their benefit as it smoothes the way for large transactions. However, you may wish to take a large amount of coin with you as some of the more disreputable shops don't bother with direct money transfers."

"Thanks for the advice. Unless there is anything else to discuss, I would like to visit my vault now."

"Of course Mr. Potter, follow me." The goblin led Harry to one of the carts and they began their trip to Harry's vault.

The ride down through the bowels of Gringotts was just like Harry remembered: long and bumpy. Once there, he retrieved two sacks of galleons and loaded his pockets with sickles and knuts. Once they returned to the lobby, he exchanged some money for muggle money. With his business at Gringotts completed, Harry again headed out into Diagon Alley.

The first shop Harry stopped at was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. While his disguise worked well enough to get him to the Alley, he would need something a bit more convincing and secure if he planned on making a trip into Knockturn Alley. The Alley itself was a bit busier than when he went into the bank, but still acceptable. He quickly made his way through the street to the robe shop, breathing a sigh of relief when he found no one else inside Madam Malkin's.

As soon as he entered, a middle-aged woman greeted him hesitantly.

"Excuse me, but may I help you?"

"Yes, please. I need new school robes, dress robes, everyday robes, and some nice dueling robes."

"I see. What, may I ask, is your name?" Lowering his hood, Harry responded.

"Harry Potter." He held back a chuckle as he saw the surprise written across her face.

"Mr. Potter, what a splendid surprise! I would assume by the way that you are dressed that you do not wish to be recognized?"

"Yes ma'am." Feeling uncomfortable with the rather loud attention he was getting, he decided to try and change the subject back to business. "Anyway, how about those robes?"

"Oh yes, of course. Here dear, lets get you measured," and she lead Harry into the side of the store and began taking his measurements.

"So Mr. Potter, you want basic school robes…"

"Actually ma'am, I am sort of spoiling myself today, so perhaps something nicer than 'basic,' if you please."

"Very well then Mr. Potter. What sort of price range are you looking at?"

"Well, I don't want to spend more than a thousand galleons, but I do need a complete wizarding wardrobe."

"Really?" she said surprised. "Well then, we can do quite a bit with that kind of money. Well, I'm done with the measuring, let me get you some cloth samples and we can get to work!"

After he was measured and had picked out the different types of materials he wanted his robes made out of. He bought six sets of school robes, all made of a very expensive, black silk type material. He grabbed some nice generic work robes, which were ideal for gardening, potion making, and whatnot. The clerk had also convinced him to buy a few sets of 'lounge' robes, which were made of fine silk. They were too informal to wear to, lets say, the office, but too delicate and fancy to be work robes. The entire point of these robes was so that one could look fashionable while spending the evening in ones manor (these were apparently very popular among the pureblooded elite). He didn't object to purchasing them because he decided that it would be nice to actually be able to wear something of quality while he was not in his school uniform.

While not required, he also picked up two new sets of dress robes. One of them was pure white with a shimmering gold trim and highlights around the neck and cuffs. The other set was green like his old ones to match his eyes with silver trim. He also picked up four new cloaks; a black winter cloak, a white one to match his dress robes, a silver one to match his other robes, and a blood red everyday set. The last types of robes he bought were his dueling robes, or as the store clerk corrected "combat robes," as in an official duel protective equipment was not allowed. These were made of a flexible dragon hide mounted over a light but durable material that harry could not quite place. The dragon hide covered his shoulders and wrapped around his torso, much like cuirass, while finely crafted strips of hide also protected his arms except at the joints. Four large pieces of hide protected his legs, two on each side of him and one that came down in front of him and one that came down behind him.

Like the dress robes, he decided to only purchase two sets (he would have stuck with one, but he couldn't decide on the colors). Both were made of black dragon hide, where as the exposed clothe was a crimson red on one set and a bright, vibrant yellow on another. He felt the red ones made him look intimidating while the yellow ones merely reminded him of a bee or a wasp. To complete his wardrobe, he bought two pairs of polished black dragon hide boots and two hats. One of the hats was the standard pointy wizarding hat that they had to wear at Hogwarts as part of the uniform. The other hat was more muggle in origin. The best way Harry could describe it was a classy pimp hat. It was made of a stiff black felt-like material with a wide brim and a rather flamboyant red feather slid between the red silk band that encircled the tall part of the hat. He left wearing one of his black school robes (it did not have the school crest on it yet), a pair of his new boots, the red cloak, and his, as he was now referring to it, pimp hat. His dueling robes would not be ready until the evening nor would his lounge robes, so, after signing a monetary transfer sheet (which came to fifteen hundred galleons, a bit more than he planned), he decided to pick the rest of his robes up later when he came back.

His hat easily covering his scar and the shadow cast by it making his face harder to see, he walked back out into Diagon Alley. Without the ominous cloak shrouding his head, people were no longer giving him odd looks. 'I suppose odd hats are common. Just look at Neville's grandmother!' Whistling a TV jingle he had heard the other day when he had gone down to dinner, he went to go pick up a new trunk.

He entered the same shop he had gone to get his first trunk for Hogwarts. The store was clean and there were a few patrons, mostly parents with their youngsters trying to get a jump-start on their Hogwarts shopping. Harry let the other patrons get their business done while he wandered around the shop, looking at the displays. Soon after most of the other patrons had left, he saw a store clerk approach him out of the corner of his eye. As soon as Harry turned to face him, the clerk cordially greeted him.

"Good morning sir! " the man said with far too much enthusiasm. "May I interest you in a new trunk?" Harry didn't want to be rude and point out that he wouldn't have ventured into the shop if he wasn't but decided it was best to hold his tongue.

"Yeah, actually. I am looking for something similar to a trunk that a former professor of mine had. It had multiple compartments, and one of these compartments was actually as large as a room. Do you have anything like that on stock or is that a custom job?"

"Actually sir, we have many trunks that fit your description. They vary by the number of compartments, materials, size of compartments, and security features. If you will follow me, we have quite a selection on display," he said, leading Harry to another section of the shop.

"Here we are sir," the clerk, showing him one that looked almost exactly like Moody's trunk. "This one here is eight hundred galleons, is very rugged, and has seven compartments, with the last one being a stone chamber which is ideal for storage. Now, as with all our specialty trunks, you can spend an extra hundred galleons for the upgrade, which comes with slightly bigger compartments, customized exterior, and enhanced protection charms. Now, we have these trunks over here, which will just amaze you as they have separate…"

Harry listened to the man drone on and on about the different luxury trunks for the 'pampered traveler.' After seeing the price tags for these extravagancies, he went ahead and bought the upgraded version of Moody's trunk, choosing a nice polished mesquite wood finish with polished steel reinforcements. Once again signing off on another transfer, he headed out, carrying his trunk along with him. Pulling out his list, he saw that his next stop was books, so that meant Flourish and Blott's.

Flourish and Blott's was, unsurprisingly, empty of patrons. 'Can't buy books early if you don't know what to buy.' Harry headed immediately to the section simply labeled DEFENSE. He picked up advanced books on dueling tactics, defensive shields, and protective wards. He tried looking for books on occlumency or legilemency, but found none. When he asked someone who worked their, she informed him that Occlumency was a rather obscure art and usually was usually only passed on from a teacher to a student. Legilemency, because of its invasiveness, was labeled a dark art and highly restricted. Granted, it was also an obscure art and thus most at the ministry probably didn't even know it existed, but that was just a little detail.

He hit the CHARMS and TRANSFIGURATION section next. He also picked up some potions books, specifically ones that focused on healing. After his O.W.L testing, he felt that he was a pretty decent potion brewer when he did not have Snape prowling around him. All together, he must have picked up some thirty books. After paying the hefty sum of 340 galleons, he set them all in the first compartment of his trunk and headed out to Olivanders.

Harry passed the apothecary on his way to the wand shop and decided to restock on his potion supplies. After merely replacing the ones he had used in previous years, he decided to see what else was there. He spent a good hour in there, flipping through all the potion and healing books he brought, trying to make sure he gathered the necessary ingredients to attempt all the potions at least a couple of times (not that he actually thought that he would get around to it, but if had the money, he was going to be prepared). He also picked up some other odds and ends, such as powdered veela hair or a new silver cauldron, if only because it would be neat to say he had them Once that distraction had been taken cared of, he continued on his way to Olivanders.

He entered the dusty shop only to find it empty.

"Hello? Mr. Olivander?" Not getting a response, he wandered around the area in front of the desk, peering between the rows upon rows of wand boxes, trying to find the old wand crafter.

"What can I do for you today Mr. Potter? Certainly you don't need a new wand?"

Harry jumped as he heard the slightly creepy voice speak behind him. He turned to find Mr. Olivander giving him a questionable look. He did not even give second thought to the fact that Olivander recognized him

"Err, sort of, sir. Actually, I kinda needed to get a second wand." He looked at Mr. Olivander hopeful that it would not be a problem.

"So your first one is not broken?"

"No, actually. I have it right here." With that, he pulled out his wand and showed it Mr. Olivander.

"Good." The old man sounded strangely relieved. "Since it is intact, why do you want a new one?"

"Well, you see, umm, mine doesn't exactly work against Voldemort." Olivander let out a bit of a hiss at the Dark Lord's name, but otherwise kept a neutral expression. "And, well, I thought it might just be prudent to have a back-up in case I ever got disarmed."

"Yes, brother wands do have a tendency to be uncooperative with each other, though you must remember Mr. Potter that in all likelihood, you can effectively duel a brother wand as long as you do not cast at the same time. If anything, you could look at it as a useful defensive measure. As for your second concern, well…" He paused for a moment before continuing. "I am afraid that I can not legally sell you a second wand, Mr. Potter, unless yours is broken or you trade your old one in. I would gather that is not an option?" Harry shook his head in the negative. He was rather fond of his wand, and had even served him well, even when it didn't work against Voldemort. Actually saved his life that time.

"Very well then. I do have a solution, a loophole in the law, if you will. If you are looking for another magical conduit to use, I suggest you visit the shop that a friend of mine owns. It's called Tapio's. I believe it is somewhere in Knockturn Alley."

"Knockturn Alley? I thought that area was where Dark Wizards hung out?" Even though Harry had already planned on taking a trip there, he felt it was best to play the naïve and innocent boy.

"Do not be so naïve Mr. Potter. Knockturn Alley is for the smaller specialty shops, especially ones that carry dangerous items. I will not deny that some shady dealings happen there, but it is not as bad as many make it out to be." Harry gave him a questioning look, one that Olivander picked up on.

"Most stories are made up by parents who don't want their children wandering around and touching things they really shouldn't. As for the place I'm sending you to, this is one of those shops. The proprietor caters to a very select group and does not see the point of operating out of Diagon Alley. However, like I said, the area can be a bit shady. It would be best not to wonder around there at night."

"Thank you sir, for the advice and the information. Uh, could you not let anyone know I was here? I am trying not to be noticed."

"With that hat, Mr. Potter?" the old man said with a slight grin.

"I once heard some muggle say something to the effect of 'the best place to hide is in plain sight.'" With that, he left Olivanders.

It was already almost 1:30 and he was going to head back to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch when he saw what appeared to be a wizarding café in the opposite direction. The place had a small outdoor dining area fenced off from the rest of the street. Deciding he did not want to dine in the rather dark Leaky Cauldron, Harry decided to head there. The place was called 'Expecto Espresso.' Shaking his head and the rather ridiculous name (something wizards seemed to have a knack for), he went inside. A few minutes later, Harry sat at one of the outside tables, munching on a delightful turkey sandwich and sipping from a bottle of butterbeer.

He took the moment to just enjoy the sights. From his seat, he watched the witches and wizards bustle around, running here and there, making purchases. Though they now knew of the threat of Voldemort, they seemed to be willing to continue on with their lives, which would probably last until the public attacks by Death Eaters started. Pushing these thoughts out of his mind for now, Harry was content to just live in the moment. He rarely got to see the wizarding world normally. The last time he had gotten a chance to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the world he was apart of was after the Sirius incident before his third year. Quickly moving his thoughts away from Sirius, he finished his sandwich and drink. A house elf quickly appeared and took away the dishes right after harry had stood up. His stomach contently full, he decided it was time to finish his shopping.

* * *


	4. A Stroll Down Knockturn

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 4:

A Stroll Down Knockturn

* * *

With his hat covering his scar and adequately concealing his face, Harry walked into Knockturn Alley. Despite knowing what Olivander said, part of Harry really hoped that no one would see him here, consorting with unsavory characters. The other part of his mind, however, pointed out that if supposedly 'respectable' people like Lucius Malfoy could walk around without the fear of ruining their reputation, so should Harry. Harry shushed the two voices and focused on the task at hand.

Harry had realized not to long ago that Voldemort had a good 50 years of skill and knowledge over him. He knew there was no way he could catch up, but he had to try to at least minimize the experience gap. He had taken a look at the books he had purchased and had come to the conclusion that, even if he spent sixteen hours a day studying and practicing, there would be no way he could get through all the books he thought he needed to. Therefore, he decided he would have to rush things a little. A plan had been formulating in his mind during lunch, and he only hoped it would pan out.

Walking down the street, he tried to keep a sharp eye on the people around him without being too obvious. While there were definitely seedy looking characters here, there were also some decent looking people whom seemed to be there just for shopping, which helped him relax a little. Harry finally found himself in front of a store he knew dealt in "questionable" items. _Borgin and Burkes_, the shop he had accidentally Floo'd too on his first trip to Diagon Alley. Pushing open the door, Harry was surprised to see that there was no one but the clerk who managed the counter last time he had been there. Pulling out his Gryffindor courage, and hopefully a little tact, Harry put his plan in action.

The man at the counter looked up when the small bell above the door tingled. He stared at Harry for a moment, taking in his appearance. Apparently he was satisfied with what he saw, for his face immediately lit up.

"Ah, what can I do for you young man?" Focusing his mind and trying to look nonchalant, Harry spoke.

"Well you see sir, I am a student and, unfortunately, my grades have been rather dismal," he said, figuring it would be best to sound like some massive overachiever. "I really need to get some practical experience over the summer, but as you are no doubt aware, the damn ministry thinks that young people like me will behave 'irresponsibly' if it wasn't for their age decrees. I don't suppose you have something that might help me with my problem?" 'Damn,' Harry thought, 'I sound like those bad spy movies that Dudley watches. I really do hope I was subtle enough.'

"Well good sir, I do happen to have something that might make your summer more productive. Of course, it is not cheap, but I am sure you will find that it is well worth the price. After all, a young man's education is a serious and important investment."

"So I have learned. What is this help like?"

"I am sure it will _wear_ on you eventually, but I am quite sure a hardy young man like yourself can handle it." He could have sworn the clerk had given him a wink.

"I think you might just have what I am looking for. What is your price for parting with such a useful study aide." Harry could not help but grin, for some reason, he found this blatant display of being indirect absolutely hilarious.

"Such valuable aides cost around 150 galleons." Even the clerk was smiling.

"Deal." With that, harry pulled out the sack of galleons he had gathered from his vault and counted out 150 galleons. He pushed 150 galleons over to the clerk while the clerk pushed a rather worn copy of _Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5_. Harry gave him a curious look and the man nodded his head in the direction of the book. Opening the book, harry found that the center was hollowed out and inside was a silver pendant that looked like a closed eye. Closing the book, he looked back at the clerk.

"If this does not work, I will be back."

"I understand young sir," the man said seriously. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually, yeah, I do need something else. In relation to my studies, I have found that, I am also lacking in _time_ to study effectively. You know of any way to _turn_ around my misfortune?"

"I am afraid I don't have what you need. But, I know someone who does. You should visit the shop of one of my friends, Pandora's Prodigious Paraphernalia. It is a mere two doors down, not hard to miss. Tell her I sent you and that 'the sands in the hourglass fall too quickly for me'. She will know what you want."

"Thank you. Please," he handed the man a stack of 25 galleons, making the mans eyes light up, "to show my gratitude. I am sure you will be a proper business man and not discuss our transactions with others?"

"Of course not sir. Thank you for your business, and uh, have a pleasant day." They both nodded to each other and Harry left the shop in search of Pandora's Prodigious Paraphernalia. 'I really hope I can be more direct after this, I feel so ridiculous trying to be underhanded but blatantly so. God, this is confusing.' Harry again pulled himself out of his thoughts (he seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and walked in Pandora's. Quickly seeing no one, not even a shopkeeper around, Harry opened up the book he got from Borgin and Burkes and pulled out the pendant. He looked at it for a second before placing it around his neck.

He let out his breath as nothing happened once the pendant was on. He then took stock of the store he was in. Unlike the last shop, this was very clean, almost Dursley clean, and was brightly lit with the light reflecting off the polished white marble floor. He heard a slight shuffle to his right and looked to see a rather ruffled middle-aged woman coming out of the back of the shop.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I have a rather delicate project in the back that required my utmost attention."

"No worries ma'am, I just got here."

"Yes, well, I am Anwen Pandora, at your service. What can I interest you in today?"

"Well, I was just at Borgin and Burkes and they did not have what I needed so I was sent here. You see, the sands in the hourglass fall too quickly for me and I was told that you could help." The woman gave him a knowing look and marched into the back of her shop again. Harry took this time to browse the goods that were on display. There were sneak-o-scopes, foe-finders, and other odds and ends, some of which he had seen in Dumbledore's office. He even saw a rack of a variety of eyeglasses. As he was gazing at the different styles, Anwen came back to the front of the store.

"I have two options for you. One deals in hours, the other days. Any longer than that and you are asking for trouble, not that you aren't already." She mumbled the last part, but Harry had heard it clearly none the less.

"I think the one that deals with days is probably my best bet. How much?"

"Six hundred galleons." He nodded and she handed him a transfer sheet. She looked at him for a moment. "You do realize the dangers of using these, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, chance of meeting yourself and changing events, thus creating paradoxes and the like and possibly screwing over the universe." 'Thank you Hermione!' he thought triumphantly.

She gave him a piercing look for a few more moments before handing him a small, white silk pouch that was surprisingly heavy.

"One turn sends you back a day. I think the total that thing will let you go is a month. Like I said, any farther and you can practically guaranty trouble. Remember that you never got that from me. Now, unless there is anything else you need…"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about those eyeglasses." He pointed to the display holding the glasses he had been looking at earlier. She took a glance at his old, battered round frames he wore.

"Yes, I can see you need a new pair. I take it those are muggle glasses on your face?" He nodded his head and continued. "Well, all the glasses are enchanted to give you slightly better than normal eyesight. What makes them nice is that each pair has an extra optical charm on them placed on the frames themselves. Some allow you to see through solid objects, while others allow you to see thermals and such. All the pairs I sell are charmed unbreakable and also can not be removed by anyone except the wearer, though that requires a few spells on your part to bind the glasses to you. However, once you do that, not even summoning spells will remove them. There are also weather repelling charms and such, just to keep them generally clean. Here, let me help you find a pair." The two of them went through the glasses one at a time. Eventually, Harry picked out a silver wire-framed set with rectangular lenses that allowed him to see better in the dark. It was not perfect night vision, but in pitch black he would be able to see things in the gray scale. He also picked up a foe glass and self-dictating quills. He merely had to talk to them and they would write what was said. After paying the woman another 120 galleons, Harry headed out to find the shop Olivander had told him to visit.

As he was wondering around, looking at each shop sign, he happened to glance down an alley and saw weathered looking sign hanging over a short flight of stairs that seemed to head into the basement of a building. There was but one word written in peeling paint on the sign: Books. Seeing as how the afternoon was still young, Harry turned into the ally. He descended the stairs and entered a dimly lit shop with rows of bookshelves full of dusty old tomes. A man whose age could rival Dumbledore's was busy skimming through the titles of one of the shelves when Harry entered.

"Are you lost young man?" The man said, not even glancing up when Harry entered.

"Actually, I saw the sign and thought it would be prudent to check this place out. You have quite a selection of books." Harry was quite sure he heard the man mumble something about no one ever interested in his books, but it was said so quietly he could have been mistaken.

"Very well. Do you want something specific or are you just browsing? I can assure you that I do not carry any of those rather inappropriate books that you young adolescent boys find so fascinating; nor do I carry those damn Quiditch books either. That said, anything specific you need, or can you save me time and just leave now?" Trying to keep his temper in check at the man's rudeness, he tried to word his request carefully.

"Actually, there are quite a few books that I need, and none of them pertain to adolescent fantasies or Quiditch. What I need are books on dueling, magical combat, charms, the dark arts, and anything you have that might possibly deal with the arts of Legilimency and Occlumency. Perhaps some..." He was about to continue when he was cut off by the old bookkeeper.

"My, my, my. What does someone as young as you need all those texts for?" Harry paused for a moment before responding.

"I happen to have a powerful evil wizard after me and I need to know how to defend myself."

"Really? Not all of those subjects you listed earlier are defensive. In fact, I am pretty sure Legilimency is offensive." Harry thew him a cheeky grin as he responded.

"It has been said that the best defense is a good offense."

"So it has. Tell me, young man, what did you do to make this wizard go after you? Sleep with his daughter? Pilfer his potion ingredients? Trample his flower bed?"

"Well, actually. I haven't done anything to him. At least, not directly."

"I see. And is this wizard really an evil wizard or does he merely utilize the so-called dark arts?"

"I don't understand, what's the difference?"

"What's the difference! Why, it is the difference between night and day! Apples and Oranges! Dragons and rabbits! That is the difference!" 'Okay, now I am confused,' Harry thought, listening to the man rant.

"Umm, you sort of lost me." The old man stopped his rant and stared at Harry before relaxing a little.

"Yes, I suppose you are too young and inexperienced to have come to an understanding by yourself, especially with the education system these days. Therefore, it is my civic duty to inform you. First of all, please tell me that you are aware that the ministry is mired in bureaucracy and corruption, right?"

"Yeah, I have a lot of experience dealing with stupid ministry people."

"Very good. It's important that you realize that. Now, tell me, who decides what spells are dark and what spells are not?"

"Well, if I had to guess, id say the ministry?"

"Exactly my boy, exactly!" He now had a twinkle in his eye that reminded Harry a bit too much of Dumbledore as he gave a quick, excited clap. "And what do people at the ministry want? Control!" Harry just stepped back a little and decided to listen. He had heard Hermione go off on rants plenty of times and knew when to just step away and let the person speak.

"You see, young man, the reason that most of these 'dark arts' are labeled as such is that they are meant to harm others and are relatively powerful in the right hands. Hence, the ministry regulates them so they can control them. Keep in mind, that this does not make them evil. Have you ever heard of the 'light arts'?" Harry shook his head in the negative. The man thus continued.

"Neither have I, and I am quite sure my age and knowledge are both far greater than yours. The few spells that might fall into the category of 'light arts' are things such as the Patronus. Even then, the requirement to cast it is a happy memory and the intention of driving away a Dementor. However, even the darkest of hearts can feel happiness, even if it is in a perverse sort of way. In the end, I suppose it all comes down to actions. So you see, the term 'Dark Arts' is really quite questionable and all it does is limit those of us who might be considered good or 'Light' wizards."

"Excuse me, but what about the unforgivables?" The man looked slightly irritated at the interruption, but answered the question anyway.

"Did you not hear me boy? I said that _most_ 'Dark Arts' are not truly evil, not all of them. The unforgivables are truly Dark because of the intention of the caster. You must _enjoy_ causing pain to cast the Cruciatus curse. You must truly want to dominate and control someone to use the imperious curse. The one exception is the Killing Curse. It is both dark and neutral, depending on how it is cast."

"But..."

"Boy, shut up and let me explain." Harry felt a bitten taken back, but complied with the demand. "If you had, say, Voldemort disarmed and you had a clear shot, would you not use the Killing Curse?"

"But that is murder!"

"Really? Even if you know that if you let him live he would continue killing and destroying?"

"But there would have to be another way!"

"Well, I suppose you could put your wand to his heart and cast the Reductor curse, or perhaps a severing charm to his neck, or perhaps you could levitate him up a hundred meters and drop him down onto the pavement. There are hundreds of cruel ways to go about killing someone. Now, how are these much more gruesome and painful ways of death better than making it a clean kill? How is using these non-dark arts spells any worse?"

"I don't suppose they are, but the in the end, the argument is moot since the spell is considered by everyone else evil and, obviously, unforgivable. If I were to use such a spell on Voldemort, I would probably be labeled evil and either arrested or given the kiss."

"Too true, young man, too true. Well, now I must ask you the question I asked when you first came in here: Is this wizard that is after you a Dark Wizard?"

"I can most definitely say yes, the Wizard who is after me is a Dark Wizard."

"Very well, young man. Perhaps you could tell me who it is that is after you and I could perhaps help you select the most appropriate books for your studies."

"Well, Voldemort is after me."

"Please, Voldemort is after everyone, what makes you so special?"

"Can I have your oath that you will reveal to no one that I was here?"

"You have my word as a wizard that your identity is safe with me."

"Very well "and Harry removed his hat.

"I see," he said, glancing at the scar. "Well, that clarifies things a bit. Well, I would have to agree with all the subjects you requested, but why do you need Occlumency?"

"My reasons for that are my own, but if that will be a problem..."

"No, no, not at all. I have a few other subjects that you may find interesting. Let me go grab them."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

While the old man was off somewhere in the store, Harry began taking a look around. There were books that ranged from the vilest forms of magic to innocent cleaning charms. He had just put back a book on demon summoning when the old shopkeeper came back with a load of books.

"I am pretty sure you will find most of these texts very useful," he said, placing the stack on a small table for him to look through.

Harry was skimming the titles when he came across two books he was rather surprised to see. The first one _A Guide to Wizard Transit_ which described how to create a Portkey, how to Apparate, and many other spells and theory important to all forms of transportation used in the magical world. The next title, however, made Harry a bit nervous. _The Path to Power: Rituals_.

"Excuse me sir, but why did you include this book?" The elderly man looked at him as if he had just said Voldemort was really a muggle.

"Are you daft boy! Voldemort has at least fifty years of experience on you! You may have exceptional power and skill for your age, but there is not much hope for being able to compete with the likes of him! At least not as you exist right now."

"Voldemort used rituals to get where he is. Now he is a disfigured shadow of a human! I will not become him."

"I am not asking you to be like Riddle, I merely think some of the unlocking rituals would help you achieve magical maturity quicker." Harry was more than a little surprised to hear some stranger actually refer to Voldemort as Riddle and stowed that bit of info away to ask later. "The reason Voldemort is so twisted is because he has been seeking more than just power, he has been looking for immortality. I strongly encourage you to read through every ritual very carefully. Like I said, not all of them are dark and many will help you, especially against his Death Eaters." That actually brought another question to Harry's mind, one that he voiced ahead of his other one.

"Ok, two things. First, you called him Riddle. As far as I'm aware, that isn't exactly common knowledge. Second, why wouldn't his Death Eaters have used these ritual spells as well?" The old bookseller considered him for a moment before speaking.

"Well boy, the reason I call that thing known as Voldemort Riddle is because I went to school with him. Was even part of his so-called group of followers." Harry was absolutely stunned, to put it mildly, and perhaps a bit afraid. However, the man continued to talk and not pull his wand, so Harry paid attention. After all, jumping to conclusions and acting rashly had caused him far too many problems in the past.

"I was two years behind him, Slytherin of course." The older man continued. "Tom took me in and taught me the ropes. He was someone you couldn't help but look up to. Prefect, half-blood but still respected by the Slytherin house, indeed, he was respected by all the houses, and had power and skill to match. There must have been ten of us who were close friends of Riddle. It was within our little group that he came up with the name of Voldemort. We all had our names, but it was obvious to us that he was the leader." The old man paused as if lost in thought, perhaps reminiscing. "Yeah, we were something back then. We all stayed in touch out of Hogwarts, but then things started to go bad."

"Well, how so?" Harry asked. The only person he had ever met who knew Voldemort from school was Dumbledore (if he didn't want to count Ginny), so he wanted to learn everything he could.

"Well, he started 'the plan'." At Harry's questionable look, he elaborated. "During our time at school, we created scenarios on the best ways to gain power. While others spent their time flying around on broomsticks or throwing parities, we would sit around and discuss things. We were arrogant to a fault, believed we could do anything. Problem was, we couldn't do everything. Voldemort understood this better than anyone one of us and thus he took steps to rectify what he considered as his inadequacies. Now, you must understand that Riddle wasn't so much pro-pureblood but vehemently anti-muggle. He even went so far as to open the Chamber of Secrets."

"I know," Harry said calmly. "Did he ever tell you about his diary?"

"You know about that?"

"Unfortunately," Harry replied dryly.

"Yeah, Tom was like that, brilliant but dangerous, though, he hid it well from the others at school. And his hunt for power knew no bounds. After we all graduated, he traveled the world, searching for spells and ancient magic that would make him more than just powerful, but immortal. That book you have there," he said, gesturing to _Path to Power_, "is just a small sample of these types of magic out there. You could use all of the ones in that tomb but still not be as twisted or as powerful as him."

"Most of us followed him, including me. For us, it was all about power. We cared little for the biases Riddle held. We had a saying, something like 'there is no good or evil, only power.' We lived by that phrase. However, none were as capable as Tom and could not or would not go as far as he did. He wanted immortality, to be some god-like ruler of the wizarding world, perhaps even the world. No doubt you thought me terribly old when you came into my shop, but as you have probably realized, I am still young, as far as wizards go. Chalk it up to a botched ritual." He took a moment to look at his wrinkled hands before he continued, keeping his gaze on his appendage. "Screwing up was a wake-up call for me. It was then that I then realized that I was unable and unwilling to go to the lengths that Riddle was willing to go or required us to go to so as to be effective to his plan. It was then that I found my conscience. So, I got out."

"You got out?" Harry said in shock. "He just let you go?"

"Remember boy, we were his most trusted friends and I was not a threat, at least, not for long. The ritual I botched screwed with my magic, making it chaotic. I could be as weak as a squib or almost as powerful as Tom himself. I could not control it, but that problem became moot after about a year. My magic started to decay at a rapid pace and I began to age quickly. Tom believed I would die soon and, drawing upon his last bit of humanity, decided to let me die a natural death, for old times sake. Well, he trusted me to be honest, and I lied. I told him the pace of degeneration was higher than it really was. I even faked my death, funeral and everything."

"Ok. Um, why did you turn on Voldemort? I mean, what made you change all of a sudden?"

"Well, I was loyal, until he started his war against the wizarding world. In all our plans and scenarios, we always planned on a clean coupe. However, as the war dragged on, I realized the Tom that I knew was different, changed. I believe that, for him, it was about more than power, it was about vengeance and hate. He turned from power for powers sake to evil, and I do believe that there is a difference between the two, both in magic and in morality. I thank the fates that I got out when I did and was able to disappear, for when Riddle went evil, he took the others down with him."

"It sounds like you don't like what he has become. Why don't you fight him?"

"Humph! I would if I could, but alas, my magic has decayed to a point now that I am lucky if I can cast a cleaning charm, much less a stunner or a shielding charm. Given the rate of my magical decay and accelerated aging, I'd say give me another four years before I turn to dust. But, I digress. You asked about the Death Eaters, right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, a bit surprised at the sudden change in topic. "I wanted to know why I shouldn't expect them to have performed these power-enhancing rituals as well…"

"Hah! The Death Eaters are nothing but mere pawns and tools to Voldemort. For the most part. I hear he favors some of them, but that is just rumor. Anyway, Death Eaters wouldn't dream of touching these rituals because they have so much faith and pride in their blood. You see, these rituals sometimes add foreign magic to one's body. Now while they don't usually change the blood of the user, unless you screw up, they can change your magic. It would be an insult to the family and to their blood for one of those pure-blooded bigots to use these. After all, as far as their primitive minds can think, they don't need anything more than the gift of their magically pure blood."

"I take it then, sir, that you yourself are not a pure-blood sir?"

"Actually, I am almost pure blooded. However, I was friends with quite a few half-blooded Ravenclaws. My father was a quarter-blood and my mum was a pureblood. I understood Tom's issues with the muggles, but as far as I was concerned, what Tom felt about them was not my problem and should not have influenced 'the plan'."

"So, um, whatever happened to the others?"

"What others?" the bookseller asked.

"The other ones who followed Voldemort with you at school."

"Well, I believe two were killed by botched rituals and another four were taken out by Aurors and given the kiss. That leaves four of us left, not counting Riddle himself, and I am practically an invalid. These last three, Mr. Potter, are possibly the most dangerous followers of Voldemort you may ever meet. They had no qualms about dark rituals and sunk into the dark magic with Riddle. Luckily, two of them are known to be hiding out in far away lands. They were best known during the first war for their efforts in spreading the war beyond England, rallying groups together, and creating satellites of the Death Eater organization. Ironically, the countries in which they were based in were harsher in their hunting of Voldemort followers after the war than Britain. Thus, they lost practically all of their Death Eaters and they themselves were tossed in jail, though they eventually escaped and went into hiding. The third one, however, I don't know."

"Well, how dangerous can they be?"

"Very dangerous, Mr. Potter. Not one of the ten of us who followed Riddle on his warpath were ever marked. As far as he was concerned, we were as close to being his equals as one could get and thus he granted us some measure of respect and equality. Granted, our power was still nothing compared to his. This third one, Brian Kors, disappeared off the face of the Earth before the first war. I can only assume he is still loyal to Riddle, but where he is and what he is up to remains a mystery." They stood there in silence until the bookseller looked up at a clock on the wall.

"Dear me, look at the time. Well Mr. Potter, I hope I didn't bore you with my life story. It is getting late and I haven't had supper yet, so lets get your purchases made and we can both be on our way." Harry just nodded in agreement and paid the man in coin for the texts. Just as he was leaving, the older man grabbed him by the arm.

"Remember Mr. Potter, just because someone says something is evil does not mean that it truly is. But also beware of those who claim _all_ magic is the same. I promised you that I would keep your secret safe, so I ask the same from you." Harry just nodded, and the man let him go. Harry wandered out into the street, his mind still reeling from all he had just learned. It was around 6 in the evening and all he had was one more shop to stop into. It was almost in a daze that he came across the shop he was looking for: Tapio's

The last shop was relatively easy to find, which was good considering how distracted Harry was feeling. Harry had been expecting Tapio's to be similar to Olivanders, small, dark, and musty. He did not expect what he found. The store reminded Harry more of an armory that a wizarding shop. The walls were covered in racks carrying a multitude of weaponry. The center of the place was dominated with a large, circular bar surrounding a couple of worktables and an anvil in the center. Standing over one of the worktables and currently working on, well, something, was a man who appeared to be in his early 40's. He looked up when Harry entered his shop.

"Good day to you young man, or is it evening now? Well, it's not important. What can I help you with?"

"I'm not really sure. I wanted to get a second wand, but Mr. Olivander said he couldn't sell me one. He did, however, say something about a loophole and going here to your shop. I don't suppose you could explain?"

"Why of course I can! You see, while a witch or wizard can't have two wands, there is no legislation on wizarding weapons!" He looked at Harry as if this should excite him also. Harry, however, was merely confused (again, not too hard to do at this time).

"Right. Now, um, why are wizard weapons so special?" Tapio's face fell a little.

"Why my boy, wizarding weapons are just like wands, but a hell of a lot more useful! First of all, you can have more than one. Second, they have larger magical cores so they are more powerful. And third, you can use them as a weapon! "

"Okay. If they are so wonderful, why don't we see them more often?"

"It's the pureblood families. They were the ones who got rid of the practice. It was part of some movement a couple hundred years ago to try and distance the wizarding world from any muggle influence. Since then, they have mainly fallen out of favor. I keep up business by repairing the old family heirlooms that people bring in. I do sell a few pieces, but they are usually to some noble pureblood for his collection. That does not mean, however, that I skimp on quality!"

"Okay, you have me convinced, I will get one." Harry glanced around the large shop. "How, exactly, do I choose one?"

"Well lad, it's pretty easy. Weapons aren't very picky, contrary to wands. You could possibly use another persons weapon as effectively as your own, but most people put some custom charms on them to prevent that. Don't worry, I will explain later. Tell me, what style interests you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What type of blade do you want?"

"I don't really know, can I look around?" Tapio nodded his head and Harry began browsing. There were daggers, short swords, long swords, really big swords that were taller than Harry himself. He walked by the racks, occasionally picking up a weapon he thought looked interesting and tried getting a feel for it. Eventually, he found himself a rapier that seemed to just feel right. Placing the weapon in his left hand, he continued browsing.

"Hey Mr. Tapio, what's this?" Harry had found a small shelf that contained either really long daggers or really short swords. Once of the blades he found was actually quite beautiful. The blade was thirty centimeters and made of platinum with a rather simple handle wrapped in brown leather with silver fittings. "Its beautiful."

"I suppose the obvious thing to say is that it is a blade, which it is, by the way. It is actually an enchanted dagger, though I don't see much use for it."

"Why is that?" Harry asked as he lifted the dagger and moved it around a bit.

"Well, you see, wands and wizard blades are capable of casting spells. You usually point your wand or weapon in the general direction of what you are casting the spell at. You can't do that with these knives. These are just plain old knives and such, though they are enchanted. See, the one you have has an enchantment on it to remain sharp and to actually increase its sharpness beyond what is physically possible. So don't go cutting yourself with it, you may just remove a limb. It is also magically hardened and reinforced, so it won't bend or break. Again, most wizards don't use em, preferring cutting charms and the like." Harry just nodded his head as he listened to the man describe the properties of enchanted blades. "So lad, found what you wanted?"

"Yeah, actually. I will take this sword" he handed Mr. Tapio the rapier "and the dagger."

"You did hear me say that that other blade is merely an enchanted blade, not capable of casting spells, right?"

"Yeah, but it will be a nice challenge to learn how to use it."

"Hey, it's your money." His gaze moved over to the rapier. The thin meter long blade had two tapered grooves on each side. The hilt was wrapped in silver wire and had an Italian basket hilt, with thick metal cords weaving gracefully around the handle, resembling something like a twisted ribcage. "Good choice on the rapier though. You know much about the weapon?"

"No, actually. It sort of just felt right."

"Well, you chose well, no matter the reason. The blade has a core of dragon-heartstring wrapped in griffin feathers. A rather nice combination, if I do say so myself."

"I've never heard of griffin feathers being used."

"Well, there are strong, but a bit finicky. The dragon heartstring helps to stabilize it. Now, since you don't really know what you're doing, I would recommend you buy these two books "he reached under the bar and pulled out two books and tossed them on the counter. "One of them tells you how to enchant you blade for a variety of different purposes and how to practice duel wielding. The second one is basic swords use and blade maintenance."

"I'm suppose to learn how to use a sword from a book!"

"Please lad, it's not like anyone in the wizarding world actually know how to fence or anything. You just need to know how to keep it out of your way and how to swing it correctly. And before you ask, duel wielding is just that, using a blade and your wand at the same time. Quite difficult, but with a larger magical core in the sword, not impossible."

Harry just nodded in understanding, finding nothing else to say. There was a rather uncomfortable pause as no one spoke. Harry had to break the silence.

"So, how much do I owe you for the sword, the dagger, and books?"

"Right, um, let's see. The rapier will be 45 galleons, the dagger is 20, and the books will be ten apiece, and do you want a good belt, frog, and scabbard?" Harry just nodded. "Right, that will add another 20 galleons."

"Twenty? That's a bit much for a belt and such, isn't it?

"Well lad, they are layered with enchantments to prevent unwanted summoning spells from removing it off your body. Also slightly resistant to minor spells like cutting charms and what not. Not to mention, the high quality dragon hide they are made of!" Harry still looked a bit hesitant. "How about this, I will toss in both a sheathe for the dagger and a wand holster. Deal?"

"Fine, I suppose that will do." Harry filled out yet another transfer sheet. After paying for his things, Harry left for one more location before he went back to Madam Malkins for his robes. Just outside Knockturn Alley in Diagon Alley, was a little wizarding outdoors store. He rushed in to the store and quickly found an attendant. It was getting late and he felt he should probably get back soon incase someone noticed he was missing.

"Excuse me, but do you have wizarding tents?"

"Of course we do. Is there a specific one you had in mind?"

"Yeah, I need one with at least five bedrooms."

"Okay kid, we have something that should work." The attendant stepped over to a large shelf and pulled out a meter-long cylinder of forest green cloth. "This here is a standard hunting tent. It has five bedrooms, a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a foyer, and a common area. Before you ask, its called a hunting tent because the outside has a disillusionment charm built into it and foyer is designed so that you can see out of it while remaining invisible. No point in drawing attention to yourself out in the woods, right? Anyway, you just have to activate it. Instructions are inside."

"That's perfect. How much?"

"25 galleons." Harry paid the guy in coin and tossed the tent into the stone chamber of his trunk before continuing on his way. He stopped off at Madam Malkins and picked up the rest of his robes and placed them in his trunk. With all of his new possessions in his trunk and the amulet around his neck that was supposed to make his magic undetectable, Harry shrunk his trunk and put it in his pocket.

The ride home on the Knight Bus was uneventful, and he got off well out of view of #4 Privet drive. Once he stepped off the bus, he threw his invisibility cloak on and headed 'home'. The sun was beginning to set when he arrived, and he knew that the Dursley's would be eating right now. 'Best to go through the front door then.' He cast a silencing spell on the doorknob and stepped inside. He expected the living room to be empty, or perhaps have Dudley watching TV. He did not expect to see Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, and Albus Dumbledore sitting there staring at him. Well, Dumbledore was staring at him along with Moody, while Remus was looking in his general direction. He stood there in shock for a few moments before Moody finally spoke up.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Potter."

* * *


	5. Conversations

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 5:

Conversations

* * *

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Potter."

Harry pulled back the hood of the cloak, allowing his head, still topped with his odd hat, to show.

"What ever do you mean Professor Moody?" He tried to adopt a sweet, innocent tone to his voice and suppressed a smirk as Mad-eye scowled at him. The old Auror was about to respond when another voice addressed him.

"Harry?" It was Remus who spoke up.

"Remus," Harry stated back.

"How are you holding up?" Seeing the sadness in Remus's eyes, it hit Harry how much pain Remus must be going through.

"I'm doing okay. How about you?"

"I'm holding in there." The werewolf said.

"Well Potter?" It was Moody again. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sorry?" Harry almost shrunk back when he saw that both of Moody's eyes were glaring at him.

"Sorry Potter? How sorry do you think you would be if you were caught by Death Eaters? Sorry doesn't cut it when it comes to security! You need to remember Constant Vigilance!"

"Alastor" Finally Dumbledore stepped in. "I will speak to Harry in private about the importance of security. Now that he is found, I think it best that the rest of us return to Headquarters where we may use our time in more productive endeavors." Though it sounded like a request, the tone in the ancient wizards voice made it clear that it was most definitely a demand. As the other two men got up to leave, Harry recalled what happened today at Gringotts.

"Remus!" Harry shouted just before the werewolf apparated away.

"Yes Harry?"

"You need to visit Gringotts. Sirius left a will." Remus, if possible, sobered up even more at the mention of Sirius, but was able to maintain his composure. He merely nodded his head before apparating away. Now it was only Harry and Dumbledore.

"Well Harry, shall we discuss things in your room?" Nodding, Harry headed up the stairs with Dumbledore close behind him.

R-o-t-G-L-

"Hermione are you finished packing? Remember that we have to catch the plane tomorrow at 6AM!" Hermione's mother, Anne Granger, yelled up to her daughter from the base of the stairs.

"Yes mom, I just have to sort through which books I'm going to bring!" Hermione shouted back down to her mother from her room. Honestly, this was tougher than it would appear! She wanted to bring some wizarding books, but she certainly could not be caught reading _Hogwarts: A History _or _Standard Book of Spell: Grade 7_ on an airplane now could she? This meant she had to find a decent muggle book that would hold her interest while she was in public.

As she was looking through a stack of books on her desk, she caught sight of the letter Harry had written her earlier that week. He sounded fine, if not a little guilty, but she was concerned. Harry had a tendency to keep things inside, and she knew he was hiding something. The others might have missed it, but she did notice the change in his attitude when the prophecy was brought up in the hospital wing.

'He must know it, or at least what the gist of it is.' That thought scared her the most; that there was something Harry felt he could not share with the rest of them, something that might actually _scare_ him. 'A terrified Harry. What is the world coming to?' Thinking back to the prophecy, they all knew it had something to do with Harry and Voldemort, and it was no stretch of the imagination that it had something to do with Voldemorts desire to kill Harry.

As she closed her suitcase and headed down to have dinner with her parents, she made a promise to herself. 'When I see Harry, I am going to find a way to make him talk to me, even if it kills me.'

R-o-t-G-L-

Once both of them were inside, Harry closed the door and cast a locking charm and a silencing charm on the room. When he turned back, he saw Dumbledore smirking at him.

"I take it then that your little trip was successful Harry?"

"Yes sir. Umm, how did they find out that I was gone?"

"Kingsley Shacklebolt was on guard duty when he was called away to the ministry. Unfortunately, the only person available to take over was Alastor. Of course, once he arrived, he tried to locate you. When he could not, he informed the rest of the Order. I am sorry, but I had to play along. I do hope you understand?"

"Of course sir. I know you could not help me today, but I appreciate you letting me get out."

"Oh not a problem Harry. Now, judging from your state of dress, I gather the pendant was not the only thing you picked up today?" Harry pulled his new trunk out from his pocket and un-shrunk it.

"More than you could even guess Headmaster."

"How so Harry?"

"Well, besides new robes and I such, I picked up another trinket. You see, I had a sort of revelation. Even if I studied non-stop throughout the summer, I doubt I would make any sort of vast improvement." Dumbledore merely nodded his head for harry to continue. "The issue is, of course, time. I am happy to say that I have found a remedy for that problem!" The headmaster was confused for but a moment before it dawned on him what Harry had done.

"Harry, you didn't." Dumbledore was looking at him sternly as Harry opened his trunk and fished something out of it..

"Oh but I did." Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Harry tossed the Headmaster the white silk pouch that contained his recently purchased time-turner. "It is built to go back days. I figure that if every, lets say, Sunday, I go back six days, I will be able to not only have more time, but I will have a duplicates to practice with! I still haven't hammered out the details yet, but it shouldn't be too terribly difficult figure out."

"And how many of these 'duplicates' do you plan on creating?"

"Oh, only two or three." Dumbledore just stared at him. Harry tried to stare back but could not meet his gaze. Finally, he just gave in. "Fine! I was planning on having five duplicates! I figure I will go through the week and then repeat that week another four times before continuing on. There, you know my plans, are you happy now?" Dumbledore just smiled at him.

"Much happier. Now, how do you plan on feeding all of these Harrys?"

"Uhh...I didn't really think about that." Suddenly Harry found his shoe to be very interesting.

"I do have an idea Mr. Potter." Harry looked up at the headmaster hopefully. "I happen to know this very excitable house-elf who would love to work for THE Harry Potter. I am sure he will be able to take care of all your food issues."

"Really? Thank you Headmaster!" Harry almost hugged the ancient wizard, but was able to constrain himself. Barely.

"Now Harry, I know these did not take the whole day to purchase. Why don't you show me everything you bought?"

Harry happily began showing Dumbledore the books he purchased in Diagon Alley along with his new robes. He was little hesitant to show the Headmaster the books he got in Knockturn Alley, but he felt he owed the headmaster for his leniency today. He did, however, refrain from getting into any details about the old bookseller. Dumbledore looked pleased with most of the selections Harry had, that is, until Harry showed him _The Path to Power: Rituals._

"Harry, why do you have this book?"

"Sir, lets be frank. Voldemort has fifty years of experience on me. I need to find a way to shorten that gap somehow and training, even with a time turner and dark magic, won't be enough."

"I understand that Harry, but dark rituals? You do know what they did to Tom Riddle. So why do you wish to try them?"

"I don't plan on using all of them sir. From what I understand, Voldemort was looking for more than just power. He sought immortality. If I remember correctly from his speech to his Death Eaters after his rebirth, it sounds as if he spent a lot of time experimenting with different things. Hell, he doesn't even know what worked and what didn't! I have no intention of following in his footsteps. I just need a bit of a boost." The Headmaster looked at him wearily.

"I want you to be careful with these Harry. I agree that not all of these rituals will be damaging to you, but quite a few of them are, and all of them can have catastrophic consequences should you make a mistake. Make sure you understand them implicitly before you even try to attempt them. Some of them will do more than just disfigure the body, they can twist the mind and soul."

"I understand sir, and I will be careful. No point in destroying myself to destroy the Dark Lord if I will just end up taking his place. Besides, after that little bit of info you gave me after the incident at the Ministry, I don't think I will have a chance at defeating him if I turn evil."

"I am glad that you have remembered what I said, though I have noticed that you have quite a few dark arts books."

"Dark is not the same as evil, sir. I only intend to use what i learn against Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"Very well. Like the rituals, I want you to be careful. I do have more questions for you, Harry, if you are willing to answer."

"Go ahead sir, I don't think I have anything to hide." Harry felt that was the truth, sort of. He didn't have anything to hide, but some people he met did.

"Thank you. There has been a question that has been bothering me since we began this conversation. I want to know why it seems you have forgiven me when yesterday you so eloquently pointed out that it is partially my fault for Sirius's death?"

"Well, sir, it's just that, out of all the guilty parties, you were the only one with good intentions. Misguided, yes, but in the end good. Can I say the same about Snape?" Harry held up his hand to stop the inevitable comment Dumbledore was going to make about the 'proper title' of a professor. "I do not consider that petty, sniveling man a professor sir, and I don't think there is anything you can say to change my mind." Dumbledore nodded in acceptance and Harry continued. "Of course we know Voldemort wants nothing more than to see me suffer and die, and Bellatrix is about the same. From a purely practical standpoint, is it not better to work with you than against you? Our goals are, after all, the same. Besides, what kind of person would that make me if I held a grudge against you for one lapse of judgment? If I were that kind of person, I most definitely would not be friends with Ron or Hermione. No, I can not think of a good reason to stay mad at you sir, well, besides the whole Dursley thing, but that's water under the bridge now. Oh, and I also reserve the right to call in favors. I may have forgiven you, but I do feel you still owe me. That, and I figure being yelled at and having your office trashed by a student was punishment enough for some transgressions. Is that answer satisfactory?"

"It is Harry, and thank you, and don't worry about the damage, it was reparable. As for any sort of favors, I will see what I can do when the time comes. Now, I suppose we should get back to business."

"Right. Here, I want to show something I picked up as a secondary wand."

"Secondary wand? I do believe that is illegal Harry," with a voice laced with humor.

"And the Cloaking Charm isn't? Don't worry sir, I have been assured that this is very legal." With that Harry opened another compartment in his trunk and bulled out the sword. A smile broke out on the old mans face as he realized what Harry was holding.

"My word! What an ingenious solution! Tell me Harry, where did you hear about this?"

"Actually, Mr. Olivander told me where to go."

"Good, good You know, I have never seen someone actually use one in a duel, which, considering my age, gives you some indication how unorthodox that piece of equipment is. But then, you have never been one to act normally, have you Harry?" The headmaster finished with a grin, one that Harry happily returned. It once would have made Harry upset that he could not be a normal teenage boy, and, too a point, it still saddened him. He also, though, had come to accept that there was never any hope of him being normal, even if all the bad things that had happened in his life over the past few years didn't exist, it was still his duty to fight Voldemort.

"You have never seen one before sir?" Harry queried. "I find that hard to believe."

"Did I say never seen one? No, just never seen one used. I happen to have a lovely blade in my office that once belonged to a Hogwarts founder." Harry just smiled knowingly before turning back to his trunk.

Harry continued to show Dumbledore the remainder of his purchases. The aging headmaster was quite pleased with the magical tent Harry had picked up.

"I plan on housing my time duplicates in it. I figured I would assign a room for each rotation through the week. You want to help me set it up?"

"I would love to, but where do you plan on putting it?"

Harry looked around his rather small room, realizing that Dumbledore had a very good point.

"Sir, do you think you could expand my room just a little? The tent has a dissalusion spell on it, so it's not like the Dursleys will see it." The headmaster looked pensive for a moment.

"It shouldn't be too difficult. After all, it is a common enchantment. Why don't we give it a try?"

Albus was successful in expanding Harry's room by about two feet, though it would not be noticed unless it was carefully observed. That was the quick part. They spent the next half-hour struggling to put the tent together. It seemed obvious to Harry that, no matter how much Dumbledore paid attention to the muggle world, he was still as clumsy as a pure-blood around anything close to muggle. And apparently, the elder man was getting frustrated.

"Harry, do you mind if I speed up the process?" he said with a bit of a twitch in his eye.

"Go ahead sir."

With a wave of Dumbledore's wand, the tent was set up.

"Sir," Harry said, giving the man a strange look, "why didn't you do that earlier?"

"Well, I thought it would be a good exercise in tackling problems without magic. Besides, I had hoped that it would be fun. It would seem I was proven wrong."

"Meh, it happens. Let's take a look inside, shall we?" Dumbledore nodded and followed Harry in. Inside they found a rather comfortable sitting area, with a coffee table surrounded by three rather bland couches. The walls were lined with eight doors, five for the bedrooms, two for the bathrooms, and one for the kitchen.

"This room looks quite comfortable harry. Do you mind if we take a quick break so an old man can rest his legs?"

"Whatever you say headmaster." Harry just shook his head. He knew that Dumbledore wasn't tired and most likely wanted to continue his talk. As soon as Harry sat down, Dumbledore conjured some tea.

R-o-t-G-L-

Ron was unpacking his trunk in the room he shared with Fred and George. While they were technically on vacation with the family, the twins flooed to work everyday. 'Just great," the youngest male Weasley thought as he watched his brothers huddling in a corner. 'I wonder if I will make it out of this trip in one piece!'

Despite these half-hearted negative thoughts, he had actually thought about going back with the twins early so he could visit with his friends. However, Dumbledore had sent them a message with Fawkes once they arrived explaining that he had spoken with Harry and that he was fine. He also promised to pass along any messages that they wished to give. As much as he wanted to be there for his best friends, he knew that as long as Harry said he was fine, he wouldn't open up to anyone, even his friends. Besides, with the upcoming war, family ties were extremely important, especially with his family when they needed healing.

'Well Harry, I'm going to trust you to ask for help if you need it. Right now, my family needs me.' With that, he continued to put away his stuff in the room he would be staying in for most of the summer.

R-o-t-G-L-

They sat there for a few minutes, enjoying their tea. As he was quietly sipping his tea, a thought came to Harry.

"Sir, why are the Weasley's going on vacation? I mean, with the threat of Voldemort, isn't it a bit impractical?" Dumbledore sat his cup down on the table before answering.

"Their trip isn't really a vacation, well, not completely anyway. They are actually on Order business, though it is our intention that the Ronald and Ginevra Weasley are not aware of that." At Harry's scowl, the headmaster quickly continued on.

"That is not to say that they will not be spending family time together. It is because of Percy's apology that I recommended them for this mission. The family has been through a lot recently and the work for the order they are doing is not particularly difficult, but it will take most of the summer to accomplish. Now I have a question for you Harry. Do you feel you should be apart of the order?"

"Yes." Harry thought it a rather silly question. After all, he was pretty much the deciding factor in the conflict with Voldemort.

"Why?" This caught Harry of guard, since he thought it was obvious.

"So I can do my part sir. You know my importance to the war."

"Indeed, as you have implied, you have a very singular importance to the war. My question to you is, are you ready to face Voldemort for the last time?"

"No! That is the whole point of my little trip today." Harry was getting even more confused at what Dumbledore was getting at.

"Harry, I know you want to fight, but the fact of the matter is, we cannot risk you getting killed by Death Eaters. I know it sounds like I consider you a weapon, but when it comes to the Order, I must analyze everyone's strengths and abilities."

"We don't even know if I _can_ be killed! What was it, _One must die at the hands of the other_? If anything, working with the order will help me gain the experience I will need to defeat him!" Harry was beginning to feel like he was grasping at straws, but he felt he had to continue, if only to know the headmasters reasoning.

"Do you really want to test that theory Harry? What if you're wrong? What if Voldemort shows up when you are fighting a Death Eater and kills you when your back is turned? The fact of the matter is that the best way you can serve the order is to be ready to strike at Voldemort _when the time is right_."

"I suppose that makes sense, but what about information? What will you tell me and what will you keep from me?"

"I learned my lesson Harry. I can only guarantee that I will keep you apprised of information relating to you and the Dark Lord. You must realize that in an organization like ours, information, even with full fledged members, is based on the need-to-know system."

"I understand, I think. I take it then that the full contents of the prophecy are not known to the majority of the order?"

"That would be a correct assumption Harry. Most members are aware of the existence of a prophecy, a select few know as much as Voldemort does, while very few know the whole contents. Those people would be you and me."

"Sir, why must it be kept a secret?" Dumbledore looked surprised that Harry actually did not think it obvious that it should be kept quiet. "What I mean to say is, its not like it really tells us _how_ to defeat Voldemort, just that I supposedly can. What harm would it be for Voldemort to know?"

"Harry, lets say for a moment that you are a power hungry Dark Lord. Now imagine that your greatest fear is death, as it is quite obvious that is what Voldemort fears most. What would you do if, as we are led to interpret, you learned that you can only be killed by a fifteen-year-old boy? Fear is a weapon that works both ways Harry. Voldemort gains power through fear, and we can try to contain his threat by exploiting his fear of death. I am aware of the rumor that I am the only one Tom has ever feared and thus the threat to him that I pose has helped keep him in check. Should he learn the prophecy, one of _our_ greatest weapons against him will be gone." Something suddenly clicked in Harry's mind.

"So Sirius was right!" Dumbledore shot Harry a rather accusing look. "Well, sir, he had _accidentally_ mentioned that what was being guarded was a weapon of sorts. So he was right, it just wasn't what we thought of."

"Indeed." Dumbledore seemed to compose himself before continuing, something Harry knew meant that he was not going to like the rest of this conversation. "Harry, I want to talk to you about Sirius. I know you are not over his death, but..." Harry quickly cut him off.

"Does Voldemort know that the rest of the Prophecy is still known, if even only by the two of us?" Dumbledore sighed at Harry's obvious attempt to redirect the conversation. Never the less, he answered the question.

"No, our spy has confirmed that Voldemort believes the contents to be lost."

"What about the Death Eaters captured at the ministry?"

"With the dementors gone from Azkaban, Voldemort staged a raid soon after they were incarcerated. We were able to hold of the attack and drive them off, but not before he succeeded in freeing six of them, including Lucius Malfoy. There has been only one other attack so far, as you may be aware of since it was in the prophet. We believe that he is laying low. Like last year, we believe he is going to keep his head down after the interruptions in his plans, though I doubt this lull in activity will last."

"By interruptions you mean his failure to secure the prophecy and the imprisonment of the majority of his high ranking DE's who were, ironically enough, held at bay by a bunch of students," he said sarcastically. "What is the ministry doing to hold onto the other six we captured? Hell, what is the Order doing about Voldemort at all? Not to be pointing fingers or anything, but it didn't seem you did much last year."

"The Ministry has moved the remaining prisoners to a more secure location while the wards and personnel at Azkaban are upgraded. Fudge has fallen in line and has increased the Auror budget and has stepped up training and recruiting. As for the Order, well," he took a long breath and let it out slowly. "You need to understand the whole situation Harry. The point of the order is to fill in the gaps in what the ministry can do. Last year, we had to position ourselves so that we were ready to counter any major move that Voldemort may have made until such time as the ministry realized what was going on. Yes, we could have actively gone after Death Eaters, but we fight for things like law and justice and try to restrict how often we break the law and order we fight for. For us to just go in and imprison people like Malfoy would have been morally questionable at best and if such a raid were botched, it could have spelled a terrible defeat for us, given the political climate at the time. Not to mention the logistics of holding prisoners."

"I guess that makes sense sir."

"Good Harry. I hate to say it, but should we be victorious over Voldemort, the wizarding world is going to look to you for guidance and you need to begin to understand all the considerations that must be given to politically sensitive decisions." Albus repeated the pause of only a few minutes earlier. "Harry, I know you don't want to talk about it, but you need to. I know you are suffering from Sirius's death, whether or not you blame yourself, I know you are still hurting." Harry thought 'Well, I don't think he is going to give up, so I might as well answer him.'

"You know sir, I haven't really allowed myself to think about it. I don't have the luxury. I know that if I let myself, I would do nothing but fall into depression." Harry seemed to get a faraway look as he continued. "If I think through it logically, it's not like I really knew Sirius. Sure, we exchanged letters and talked, but almost never about the past or us. There was always something going on, whether it was the events of the Tri-wizard tournament or all the crap that was going on last year. I tell myself we never really knew each other, but it doesn't make it better. I know he cared deeply about me, and I know that to me, he was a father, best friend, and brother all in one. Then there is Remus. I don't know what to say to him. He has suffered so much. He looses his four best friends, gains one back, and loses him again. Not to mention his condition. I don't really know how to deal with it. It is just simply easier to push it away and deal with it later."

"Harry," Dumbledore actually sounded concerned, "that is not healthy. I understand how hard it is for you to deal with it, but you can't bottle it up."

"I know sir, and, I think just this conversation has helped. I'm not exactly used to having someone to talk too I sometimes forget that my friends are there to help. And I am trying, I really am, but ten years of Dursley is a lot to overcome."

"That's all I ask young Harry. What did you say earlier, something about good intentions?" This brought a smile to Harry's face. There was a comfortable silence that was only broken by the dinging of a clock that hung on the wall of the interior of the tent. Almost in unison, they both looked at the clock: It was ten o'clock.

"Well harry, I really must be leaving. I have a very busy day tomorrow."

"Not a problem sir, I have a few things I need to prep before I start. By the way, when should I expect Dobby?"

"Well, it is Friday, when do you plan to start your training?"

"Monday."

"Then he will be here Sunday. I wish the best of luck to you Harry, and if you are not adverse to the idea, the Order will escort you to Headquarters in August."

"I would like that sir. And, as the new co-owner of the Most Noble House of Black, I have no problem with the Order continuing to use it as headquarters."

"Thank you Harry. Do have a good summer, and don't hesitate to owl me if you need to talk."

"Thank you sir, and have a good evening."

"I will" With that, Albus Dumbledore apparated away.

* * *


	6. Learning to Live

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

_AN: I want to point out that some of the creatures I mention I found under Asher Haakon's Spells Creatures. _

* * *

Chapter 6:

Learning to Live

* * *

Harry awoke the next morning with a new sense of purpose. He grinned as he felt the pendant around his neck. 'My ticket to a good summer.' He thought. He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing, as he did every day, the terrible state of his muggle clothes. 'First things first, some basic transfiguration.' Pointing his wand at his clothes, he shrunk them so that they fit properly and changed the color from a dull, filthy gray to a solid, dark black. He smiled at his appearance. It wasn't perfect, but he could work on that later. It was better than what he had before. He cast a few cleaning charms on himself before heading down for breakfast, wand safely in his pocket.

As he entered the kitchen, he had to hold back a laugh as everyone stopped talking. His Aunt Petunia seemed to focus on making breakfast while Dudley gave him a glare that clearly said that Harry was in trouble. What was most amusing was his Uncle Vernon, who was busy staring at the morning paper, his face starting to turn a lovely shade of red. Harry sat down and began to eat, waiting for the inevitable outburst.

He was not disappointed.

"What was the meaning of all that freaky business last night!" Vernon yelled out. "What if the neighbors saw them! They already think we're odd enough because of your ragged appearance, we don't need you to make it worse!" Harry considered pointing out that it was Vernon's fault, since he was the one that gave him only rags and he was the one who spread the rumor of his going to St. Brutus. But he held his tongue, as he was sure his uncle would learn to do after today.

"And another thing! If I have to come in to your room and tell you to shut that ruddy bird up one more time..." Vernon Dursley was startled as he found that noise could no longer come out of his mouth. His bright red face drained of color amazingly quickly when saw that his nephew, who was still eating with his left hand, had his wand pointed at him. It was Dudley who broke the silence.

"Y-you can't use your _thing_ here! You'll get expelled!" Harry snickered, then chuckled, then just let out a full, barking laugh. It took him a full minute to calm down before he was able to properly respond.

"Dudley, you just don't understand. I'm too damn important to the wizarding world for them to punish me over something like this. Besides, I've found a way around that pesky law." Vernon, being the pinnacle of human intellect that he was, decided that if he could not show his displeasure towards the boy verbally, then perhaps it was time to put him in his place physically. Pushing himself away from the table, the whale of a man stood up and tried to look imposing. Harry saw him clench his fists. 'This is too good! Time to put them all in their place!' Harry turned in his seat to watch his uncle. He pulled his fist back and was swinging it towards Harry.

"_Protego"_

Vernon let out a yelp of pain as his fist impacted on Harry's shield and stopped. Harry let out a laugh as his uncle fell back, cradling his hand. Vernon had apparently gone into his 'scared animal' mode and was attacking what he saw as a threat. Unfortunately for him, Harry was very familiar with uncle Vernon's facial features. If Snape thought Harry wore his emotions for all to see, then Vernon's emotions were like a giant flashing neon sign. Before the oaf could get back up, Harry hit him with a body-bind hex. Dudley, being even more incompetent that his father, thought he should defend his dad. Apparently his boxing at school had given him some confidence, though obviously it did nothing for his common sense.

"_Stupefy"_

The house seemed to shake as Dudley went crashing to the floor on his back. By now Harry was smiling, and feeling very pleased with himself. He then turned to his Aunt Petunia.

"Do I need to hex you too, or can I leave you alone?" It was almost sad looking at the woman. She was pale and trembling. 'My god, I haven't even hurt anyone and she looks like her husband was just killed! Stupid muggles.'

"N-no. W-will they be okay?"

"They're fine. In fact, dear old Uncle Vernon can actually see and hear us. Of course, Dudley is out for now, but unless he hurt himself when he fell, which is a distinct possibility given his size, he should be back to his normal charming self when he awakes." Harry then stepped over the prone form of Vernon and looked into the mans beet red face.

"Now listen carefully Uncle Vernon. While I am aware that you were told to treat me well over the holiday, though I do not doubt you might actually think that their warning is a bluff, being the arrogant, overbearing sack of flesh that you are. I am telling you right now Uncle, their threat is real, and so is mine. If you give me any crap while I am here, I won't bother telling the Order. I will deal with you myself. Is that understood?" Vernon just stared at him.

"Right, you can't move. How about this. Blink once for no, blink three time to indicate that yes, you do understand." It looked like Vernon was having a great internal struggle. Part of him wanted to throttle his nephew for attacking him, while the other part of him was, at this moment, scared shitless of the boy. As much as he wanted to lash out, he was beginning to realize it might not be productive to his health to try and harm the stupid little freak. He blinked three times.

"Now see Uncle, it wasn't that hard. You know, it's a pity you never considered the positive possibilities of having a wizard in your home." Harry smirked when his uncle flinched at the word _wizard_. "Did you know there are charms to make things unbreakable, charms to repair objects with the wave of a wand? No, I doubt you have any idea how useful it can be. But you have had your chance." He pointed his wand at Vernon. "Remember this Uncle Vernon, I am here because I am required to stay here, not because I enjoy your company. You stay out of my way, I won't harm you. I will not be your servant any longer. Perhaps it is time that your whale of a son learns some responsibility. Now, I am going to let you go. I have your word, well your blink anyway, that you will leave me alone. Just remember that if you step out of line, you will find yourself in a far worse situation." With that said, Harry lifted the body-bind from his uncle.

The large man hauled himself off of the ground and glared at his nephew. Harry just idly twirled his wand as if daring the man to try something. He just huffed and stormed out of the kitchen. Soon the sound of the front door opening reached his ears. His uncle bellowed something about going to work (even though it was Saturday) and slammed the door, rattling the pictures on the walls. Harry stood there, enjoying the silence for a few moments before sitting down to finish his breakfast.

He spent the next few minutes finishing up his eggs and toast before he noticed that his aunt was staring at him. He tried to ignore her as he grabbed the morning paper from where his uncle had been sitting. After skimming it and finding nothing that would indicate another attack by Voldemort, he set the paper down, only to find his Aunt still staring at him. He was getting frustrated.

"What, Aunt Petunia?" He let his annoyance show, causing the woman to flinch. She merely pointed to Dudley.

"Fine." He walked over to the unconscious form of his cousin and cast the _ennervate _spell on him. Dudley's eyes snapped open, only to find himself looking up at his visibly annoyed cousin.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Dudley."

"How did you do that?" Dudley was impressed, as much as he hated to admit it. Whatever his cousin had done had knocked him out a lot harder than any of his opponents in boxing.

"Its magic, Dud. That's what I do."

"What, go around knocking people out?" At this Harry's annoyance turned to humor.

"Pretty much, Dud, it's like my job." Feeling particularly generous in his new mood, Harry held out his hand to help Dudley get up. The large boy eyed him warily before taking the offered assistance. Harry was so focused on Dudley that he did not see his aunt's expression go from fear to surprise. Not that he would have blamed her if he had, as he had gone from threatening to hex them all to actually being courteous.

"Well, now that that business is taken care of, I have things to do. If you will excuse me, Aunt Petunia, Dudley." With a slight nod of his head to each person, Harry waltzed out of the kitchen, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

The first thing he wanted to do was sort through his books and get everything prepared for his studying. He had decided that his workweek would begin on Monday and end on Saturday night. Every Sunday morning, he would use his Time-Turner and go back six days to Monday morning. That way, he would have Sunday afternoon to relax. It also helped to prevent overlap between Harrys from different weeks. He had already decided that he would exist as five people at once. He would go through the week normally, but he would use the time turner to go back to the beginning of the week. He would then repeat this cycle another three times. On his fifth time repeating the week, he would continue all the way through Sunday and move on to the next week.

'Lets see, the first thing I'm going to need to do is figure out what I am going to learn.' It didn't take him long to figure that Occlumency would have to be the first subject. The mental discipline that was learned through Occlumency was necessary for both Legilmency and quite a few of the higher level magics he intended to learn.

The one book that really interested him was _The Skills and Tactics of the Benandanti._ He had picked it up at the nameless shop in Knockturn Alley and it described the history of the Benandanti and how they went after Dark Wizards. The Benandanti were a group of wizards and witches who proceeded the Aurors and most of wizarding society. They had developed various types of mental defenses and legilmency attacks to combat Dark Wizards. There were ways to not only block outside intrusion, but also internal signals like pain.

He decided that for the first week, he would spend his time focusing on Occlumency, reviewing his old texts, and going through his tome on rituals. His goal was to be on his way to completing one of the ritual magics by the end of his fourth week. His second week would be devoted to perfecting his Occlumency (hopefully) and starting on Legilmency. He would also begin going through the more basic texts on Charms, Defense against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. He felt it prudent not to start on the big stuff until he had both the basics down and his mental shields ready. Third and fourth week would be roughly the same- getting all the basics down that would be needed for the high level stuff. He hoped to be prepping for a ritual or two as well. If everything went to plan, by the fifth repetition, he would be performing an enhancing ritual, and could start on the good stuff, such as the advanced Dark Arts, neutral combat magics, and controlled accidental magic, also known to the layman as wandless magic.

Harry had stumbled across the concept of controlled wandless magic quite by accident. He had skimmed one of his texts, _Magical Theory for the Practical Sorcerer_, when he had come across the idea of wandless spell casting. Wandless magic was simply controlling the accidental magic that youth had a tendency of doing. The argument was that if young wizarding children, who had significantly less internal magic than an adult wizard, could create amazing magical effects by sheer willpower, why couldn't a fully grown wizard? It was done with Apparating and animagus transformations, could it then be applied to more common uses? It was all a matter of being able to control your power, emotions, etc, etc, etc. Of course it was all theory and not really practiced, as wands were, after all, so much simpler, but Harry could see some definite advantages to it. He could also see where the skills he would need for Occlumency could come in handy in figuring out the wandless stuff.

In the end, the schedule Harry made for the first week looked something like this:

Week 1: Monday through Thursday

_7Am- Wake up, shower, eat._

_8Am- Work on Occlumency_

_11Am- Review old School Texts_

_3Pm- break for an hour_

_4Pm- Work on Occlumency_

_6Pm- Dinner_

_6:30Pm- Review old texts_

_8Pm- Read book on Rituals_

_10Pm- Sleep_

With his schedule organized for the first cycle of training, he felt he should take stock of himself physically.

Harry was surprised to find that he wasn't too terribly out of shape. Years of labor for the Dursley's had allowed him to build up a bit of muscle. He was hardly an athlete, at least in Muggle terms, but he was not weak either. His reflexes were good, as he had learned both in Quidditch and his encounters with Voldemort. The meals at Hogwarts made sure he wasn't totally thin. His height was average, perhaps a little short, but nothing too significant. All in all, he considered himself quite average in appearance and stature, if not a little pale. His hair was still as messy as ever, and, as a mirror once told him, it was a lost cause. Satisfied with what he saw, he decided that he would focus purely on his magical development.

With his schedule figured out, he grabbed _Path to Power: Rituals_ and began flipping through the summaries of the different rituals. He had actually found two of them right away that he wanted to get done, so he browsed the procedure and took notes on the rare and exotic ingredients that would be needed. He glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost mid-day.

He came out of his tent and was heading down for lunch when there was a knocking at the door. Being the closest, Harry answered it.

"Remus! What a surprise! Come in." He gestured for Remus to enter.

"Are you sure, Harry? I don't want to cause trouble with the Muggles."

"Don't worry Remus, we came to an understanding this morning. By the way Remus, just so I know that it's you and not some Death Eater assasin, who do I currently have a crush on?"

"I don't know Harry."

"Really? I could have sworn I told you!" He looked at Remus accusingly and raised his wand.

"Really Harry, you never said anything to me!" Remus was starting looking a little panicked. Harry lowered his wand.

"Congratulations Remus, you passed. Now, come in and have a seat."

Still seeing the slight nervousness in the man as he glanced around the unnaturally clean home, Harry caved in. "If it will make you feel better, we can take a walk. There is a nice park a few blocks away." Remus merely nodded and the two headed back outside..

The day was pretty much the same as the past two weeks. Hot. Before they headed out, Harry discreetly cast a cooling charm on his clothes. Together, he and Remus set off for the park. After about a block or so of walking, Remus began to talk.

"I want to know how you're holding up, Harry. I know Albus said you were fine, but I thought you may be a bit more forthcoming with me."

"As hard as it may be Remus, I am fine, for the most part. The person I am concerned about is you."

"Me?"

"Yes, Remus, you. This is the second time you lost your best friend. I knew Sirius for a few years, you knew him since school. I know it is hard on you because it is hard on me."

"Yes Harry, it's hard. But you need to deal with it too, and I want you to know that I am here for you." By now they had reached the park. They found an empty bench under a tree. Harry said nothing but gestured for Remus to take a seat. They sat there for a few minutes, watching kids play in the park.

"Remus, what do you know of the prophecy?" If the question caught the man off guard, he didn't show it.

"Pretty much what everyone else knows, and that is all I need to know. Why?"

"I know all of it Remus, and I'll tell you the same thing I told Dumbledore. I have a fate, Remus, and it is between me and Voldemort. He knows it, I know it, and Dumbledore knows it. Voldemort will not wait for me to get out of Hogwarts before he comes after me. I need to do whatever I can to defeat him, now. I can not afford the time to grieve, I have too much to do, too much to accomplish in such a short amount of time. The sooner I stop him, the better it is for everyone. And I will stop him Remus, whatever the cost." Remus was looking at Harry with something akin to horror, a look which Harry would had to have been blind not to notice. "I take it you don't agree completely, Remus."

"Harry, first of all, you can't suppress your emotions, you need to deal with it. If you don't, you might end up just like Voldemort himself! Another thing, Harry, I want Voldemort gone, I really do, but I am not willing to sacrifice you for it. You have heard the muggle phrase about 'those who fight demons should take care not to become one'?"

"It's not your choice, it is mine. And as for that 'gazing too long into the abyss' stuff, I am willing to take the chance. I know now that should I become evil I have no hope of completing my fate, so I can assure you that I will be most careful."

"I know, but your parents and Sirius would kill me if I didn't make an effort to keep you inline. Lord knows you get in enough trouble as it is. Besides, a lot of people care for you, Harry. And I am not just talking about the Weasleys, Harry, there are people in the Order, hell, in the entire wizarding world who are quite fond of you."

"I know Remus, and, for the most part, I care for them too. That is why I am willing to take the risks I deem necessary."

A small, sad smile graced Harry's lips as he said this. Remus, noticing a slight change in Harry's demeanor, decided to change the course of the conversation. "So, what do you plan on doing for the rest of your summer?"

"Studying, training, that sort of thing. By the way Remus, if I gave you a list of supplies, do you think you can pick them up for me? I will, of course, cover the costs as they are not cheap." Harry was currently thinking about the book on rituals and some of the more unique components.

"Sure, Harry, I can do that. What do you need?"

"Well, I left the list back at home, but there are a few things that would be helpful. Lets see... some of the things were Werewolf hair, tears of a phoenix, the fur of a Shadowcat, and Liensie wings. Um, there was more… Oh! Right, I also need ground vampire fang and some blood from Tonks." Remus just stared at him in shock.

"Is that all Harry? While I'm at it, perhaps you would like a basilisk eye and a phoenix egg?" Harry hit the man playfully in the shoulder.

"Don't get smart with me, Remus. Talk to Dumbledore and Fawkes about the tears, you are a werewolf, so that shouldn't be a problem." Suddenly Harry's face brightened as a thought struck him. "Ask Fletcher! He probably knows a whole lot of disreputable people who can get me what I need!" Remus was watching him warily.

"What do you need these for Harry?" Harry quickly adopted an innocent expression.

"Oh, just some experiments. Don't worry, Dumbledore has approved." Well, half-truths couldn't hurt. "Oh, and if you can get them relatively quickly, that would be a big help."

"Dumbledore approved experiments using Tonk's blood?" Remus gave Harry a piercing look. "I find that hard to believe."

"What can I say, he's a bit off his rocker. Besides Remus, you know I won't do anything terrible. I merely need it for its, um, metamorphic properties."

"Look Harry, I will try to get the other things, but I can't make any promises. Especially from Tonks. You may not be aware of this Harry, but most wizards aren't willing to give anyone their blood, what with all the dark magic that can be used with it."

"Fine, I will talk to Ms. Tonks myself then," Harry said calmly.

"Huh, you're in for an uphill battle there. You might need to use a bit of alcohol to get her to agree." Remus glanced at his watch. "Look, my watch shift is over. Do you mind if I visit during my next shift?"

"Sure Remus, stop by anytime." Together they walked back to the Dursley's.

"Remus, try not to be too hard on yourself, you know Sirius wouldn't want that," Harry said after they had arrived. This brought a chuckle to the man.

"Here I am, trying to help you, and I'm the one who gets advice! I will try though. Take care, Harry." With that, he apparated away. Smiling, Harry went inside. Remus had been a nice distraction, but tomorrow it would be time to get to work.

R-o-t-G-L-

Harry groaned as the bright morning sunlight streamed between his curtains and onto his face. Grimacing at the bright light, Harry turned his head away and opened his eyes, only to be greeted by two large, blurry ones.

"What the hell!" Harry threw himself off of the other side of the bed and grabbed his wand from his desk. He stood up, his wand pointing at the gray blob with one hand while his other hand searched for his glasses.

"Dobby is so sorry, Harry Potter sir! Dobby does not mean to scare Mr. Potter sir. Harry Potter is a great wizard and Dobby should not be scaring him!" The small creature immediately began to slam his head against the wall.

"Dobby, stop!" Dobby continued to beat himself. Harry was getting frustrated.

"_Accio glasses!"_ His glasses flew to his hand. Once he got them on, he jumped over his bed and grabbed Dobby by the neck, pulling him away from the wall.

"Dobby, as long as you are working here, I absolutely forbid you from punishing yourself. Is that clear?"

"Yes Harry Potter sir." Harry smiled at the short creature, making Dobby brighten up.

"Okay, Dobby. I need you to swear that you won't tell anyone else what I do here, is that understood?"

"Yes Harry Potter sir! Dobby is a good house elf and won't share his master's secrets!"

"I'm not your master Dobby. I would like to be your friend."

"Yes Harry Potter sir." Harry just rolled his eyes. 'There are some things you just can't change.' Then another thought struck him. 'Dear god, Hermione can not know I have a house elf!'

"Err, Dobby?'

"Yes Harry Potter sir?"

"Who knows you're here?"

"His Professorship Dumbledore sir, and Winky."

"Good, lets keep it that way, shall we?" Dobby merely nodded. "So, how is Winky anyway?"

"Oh, she much better, sir! His Professorship Dumbly-dore moved Winky to Black House. She much happier there than at Hogwarts!"

"That's good to hear. What happened to Kreacher?"

"Oh, Kreacher was a bad elf. When he heard that Master Potter and Mr. Lupin own Black house, he went and cut off his own head!" Harry grinned at this news. 'Good riddance to that traitor. Now if only Wormtail would do that...' Shaking his head out of these thoughts, he showed Dobby the tent and explained to him what had to be done. The evening progressed smoothly, with both himself and Dobby cleaning and rearranging the rooms in his tent for his plans. They cleared out the storage room that was in the last compartment of his trunk. Handing his copy of _The Path to Power: Rituals_ to Dobby, he asked the small elf to turn the room into the necessary ritual chamber that was described in detail in the large tome.

It was not until almost eleven o'clock that night that they had everything ready for the week ahead. The chamber, which originally had rough, stone walls, was now smooth and glittering brightly. Dobby had polished the stone (which took up most of the time, even with Harry helping) and had set up four braziers, one in each corner. Dobby had also gone so far as to carve the focusing rune into the floor. The room was ready for use as soon as Harry was ready to use it. Well, almost. Harry still had to perform a spell on the rune to attune it to himself, but he figured that could wait until he was ready. Feeling too tired to read that night, Harry fell asleep on the bed of his room in Privet Drive.

He awoke to the blaring alarm clock that Dobby had apparently set after Harry had gone to bed. He groaned as he rolled over and looked at the time. It was 7:30. 'Damn.' It would be only an hour until his duplicates would arrive. Dragging himself out of bed Harry stumbled to the shower. After cleaning himself, he put on one of his new pairs of everyday work robes, a dark blue set, and headed into the tent to await the others. He did not have to wait long. At exactly 8:30, four other Harrys seemed to materialize in the sitting room of the tent.

They all looked at each other for a moment, the four new comers with different grins on their faces. They each smiled at each other, as if they had done the same inside joke. Had he thought about it, he would have realized just how strange it was to be looking at perfect duplicates of himself. However, their stupid grinning was making Harry annoyed.

"Just what do you find so humorous?" Ironically all five of them spoke at the same time. Harry just glared at them as they broke out in laughter.

"Real mature, guys." He gave them a few minutes to calm down before continuing, deciding to ignore their silliness and get onto more serious topics. "So, getting down to business, everything run okay?" One of the duplicates spoke up.

"Well we are here, aren't we?" Seeing that Harry was not amused, the duplicate continued on more seriously. Sort of. "Damn, we really need to learn how to lighten up. Anyway, the setup we planned works pretty well. Dumbledore was a genius to recommend Dobby, by the way."

"So, in other words, we probably won't see much of each other except dinner times, right?"

"Yes", they all chorused together before breaking out again in laughter. Just shaking his head in disbelief, Harry walked to his room in the tent to begin studying.

He had been reading the book on the Benandanti for only two hours and he felt he knew more about Occlumency than what Snape had ever taught him. The Benandanti book seemed to cover everything, from basic mind-clearing techniques to advanced defensive skills such as trapping a persons in one's mind. There was also a section about the practical applications of Occlumency. Apparently, the mental discipline one learned to be a successful Occlumens were useful in a variety of other applications, not just mental shielding. If mastered, it would help the Occlumens focus better and retain information better, since he would have more discipline and control of his mind.

Making a snap decision, Harry chose to forsake his other studies and spend the rest of the day going through the one book and trying out the exercises outlined in the book. He became so engrossed in the text that he skipped lunch and had to be dragged to dinner by Dobby. As he sat down at the table that the house elf had set up, he immediately began to tuck in, missing the grins from the others. It wasn't until someone cleared their throat that he bothered to look up.

"What?"

"Oh, just wanted to know how your day was." Harry then noticed that, once again, they had that knowing smile. 'Might as well play along, though they already know that I will, so maybe I shouldn't, but then they might know that also. Ah, hell.' Forgetting that circular line of reasoning, he spoke.

"Well, as I am sure you already know, I have spent the day reading _The Skills and Tactics of the Benandanti_. Anyway, I actually found it interesting. Amazingly, I think I might actually have a basic idea on how to clear my mind."

"Really?" It was one of the other Harry's that spoke up.

"Yes, really." He sneered. "By the way, maybe you guys should wear name tags or something, so I know what rotation you guys are from. I mean, it's such a hassle trying to keep track of all of you." Another one responded.

"Well, normally we do, but being the first day for you, we thought we would make things just a bit more confusing for you. " Harry just glared at them. "Fine! I suppose we had our fun." With that, they pulled out simple paper squares with the numbers two through five written on them. Quiet grumbles about 'fun-killing Potter' were heard throughout the room as they pinned them to their robes.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Harry said smugly, only to be on the receiving end of four identical glares.

"Well, now that you have effectively killed our fun," it was #5 who spoke up, "I was wondering if you wanted to try some of the things you learned today?"

"Are you kidding? I only read about them!"

"Please, you know more just from just reading today than Snape ever taught you!" Harry still looked a little incredulous. "Come on, Harry, you'll only learn through experience. Besides, I am here to help. I've been doing it for almost five weeks already, plus Legilmency. Besides, I don't even have a vendetta against you!"

"Alright! Well practice after were done eating." #5 nodded and they all went back to eating. Dinner seemed to end far too quickly for Harry and he soon found himself in the bedroom of his trunk.

"Now Harry," #5 spoke as they seated themselves on chairs he conjured, "remember what you learned today about clearing your mind. While it is possible to do when you're in a relaxed, comfortable state, odds are you will either be distracted or feeling strong emotion when you are attacked. The trick is to have control of your emotions and focus both thought and emotion, to control them. Not only will this allow you to use both Occlumency and other mental defenses, but, as you guessed earlier, it helps a lot with trying to do wandless magic. Watch." With that, #5 merely raised his hand and a candle on the other side of the room came to life. "Right now I can only do minor stuff like that without too much concentration, but I figure we give it another full rotation and I'll have it down." Harry just looked at him in amazement. "Right, well, I'll give you a moment to gather your thoughts, then we'll continue." Harry just nodded and got ready.

"Okay, go ahead," Harry said after a few moments. #5 nodded and pointed his wand at Harry.

"_Legilmens!_" Harry was bombarded with memories. Recalling what he heard earlier, Harry tried to concentrate on a single idea, or thought. He could feel #5 trying to bring up memories of the incident at the Department of Mysteries, specifically Sirius going through the veil. Focusing as hard as he could, Harry brought up the idea of a sort of wall, blocking not #5's intrusion, but the memory he was trying to surface. Once this happened, #5 stopped.

"Very good, Harry. That was great for just beginning. Later we can work on a more permanent defense. Visualization and suppression, like what you just did, is best when you are caught unaware. If you happen to have nightmares, either Voldemort induced or not, you can use that technique to stop them." Harry just nodded excitedly, in a state of excitement at actually getting feedback and being successful. #5 continued to speak after giving Harry a few moments to compose himself. "This time, instead of letting me sift through your memories, try to focus on something more practical, like me. Focus on attacking me back, whether mentally or with your wand. The idea is that if you focus enough, you can block outside intrusion. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so. I do have one question though."

"Shoot."

"Your attack didn't seem as, I don't know, as powerful, as Snapes. Why is that?" This brought a chuckle from #5.

"Well, as much as I would like to say that I went easy on you, the truth is that I have only been practicing Legilmency for about three weeks, where as Snape is almost a master. There is also the fact that Snape is dark wizard and tends to put a bit of hate into his spells. Now when dealing with mental magic like this, it makes the spell a bit more painful. Now keeping that in mind, I think we will be able to accomplish enough on our own, but once we get back to Hogwarts, we will probably need Snape to continue lessons."

"Snape? Why Snape?" Harry was shocked that he would recommend continuing lessons with that man.

"Well, by then we will actually have a pretty good base and we will be getting lessons from Dumbledore so its not like we will be under-trained. However, I think we need Snape because of his strength in this skill and his aggression and hatred of us. I figure that he will be better able to simulate the kind of attack Voldemort might make against us and thus help us out in the long run." Harry tipped his head in understanding. "Good. You ready?" Harry grinned.

"Do your worst." With that said, #5 attacked.

They practiced well into the night, not stopping until Harry could not only throw #5 out, but also almost stopped him before he got in. The decided to call it a night and #5 went back into the tent while Harry stayed in the bedroom of #4. Since Dumbledore had undoubtedly not informed the order that Harry had procured a tent with a much larger bedroom than the one in #4, it was decided earlier that the first Harry of the rotation would stay in the house proper. This was just so that he may be available should someone from the Order come to visit. Harry smiled as he fell asleep. He had accomplished a lot today, far more than he thought possible. Tomorrow he would start on spell work and experiment with his new sword. 'This duplicate Harry thing just might work out after all.'

* * *


	7. Rituals and Skill

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 7:

Rituals and Skill

* * *

The rest of the week flew by for Harry. #5 five helped him with the Occlumency training, and he was soon able to block the duplicate out completely with very little effort. Harry had spent much of his non-occlumency time mastering the spells he should have learned in school over the past five years. He had easily gone through his old Defense books, along with the extra ones he had gotten as gifts, and had been quite successful with Charms. Transfiguration was slightly more difficult, but nothing impossible. He had browsed through his potion books, but had not spent any time trying to actually make anything.

Harry had also begun to work with his sword. Using it by itself was easy enough, if not even easier than with his wand. Movements did not need to be as precise, if necessary at all. He also found that he had more power with those spells that he cast with it. The challenge came when he tried to use both his wand and sword at the same time. The first issue was physical ability. He could use his wand just fine in his right hand. He could use his sword just fine in his right hand. However, his left arm was weaker than his right and he felt clumsy using it to heft the blade. To counter this, he tried to use the blade in his right hand with the wand in the left, which allowed him to use the sword better, but he found it difficult to cast with his left hand. It was #4 who gave him some pointers when he brought up the issue with the others.

"Well, your best bet is to just start using your wand in your left hand for all things. It will get easier when you learn some wandless magic, then you can start casting with thought instead of incantation, which will allow you to be more effective when you learn how to wield both at the same time."

Harry had taken to reading his book on rituals and the book that came with his sword late into the night. He found that his sword, while built in the image of a muggle rapier, was actually sharpened magically so it could be used in a variety of ways. A normal rapier was generally only sharp at the point, seeing as how it was built to only stab people. However, seeing as wizards were incompetent in the subtleties of swordplay, it was magically hardened and the sides sharpened so as to an effective slashing weapon. It certainly would not cut through something like a metal pole, but human flesh and bone would probably not slow it down very much.

The only disruption that happened was on Friday night, when a package arrived from Remus containing the unique ingredients Harry needed for some of the rituals (though Tonk's blood was unsurprisingly missing from the package). It was #5 who took the letter and the components and told them that he would perform the ritual on Sunday, after everyone had left. They had, of course, protested, seeing as how they wanted to observe the effects of the ritual, but were eventually pacified.

Soon Sunday morning came, and the Harrys traded their numeric badges with each other so they could stay organized. With an excessively dramatic goodbye by #5, the four of them each put their time turner around their neck, turned it six times, and found themselves staring at Harry. The four had agreed that they would always call the Harry going through the first rotation of the week 'Harry' and everyone else would be called by the number they wore

Harry continued to follow his schedule, practicing with both of his weapons and memorizing spells. He also began to work on his wandless magic and Legilmency during the third week. He first started practicing on #2 to get the basics down, and towards the end of the week he would get to practice against #5. For his wandless abilities, he was progressing a bit slower than he had hoped, though the others assured him he was doing fine. By the end of the week he was able, with a fair amount of concentration and effort, turn the page of a book from across the room. While he was left feeling weak afterwards, he also felt like he had gotten stronger, as if his magic was working out. This, #5 explained to him, was probably not far from the truth. It wasn't until someone pointed it out to him did he realize that he was ahead of schedule; he hadn't planned on getting to wandless magic until the fifth rotation. He decided to ask #5 about it.

"Hey Five, how did we get off schedule?"

"Well Two, I suppose after my little demonstration during our first day, we just, I dunno, felt motivated, I guess. I don't know." To Harry, it sounded like #5 already knew what he was going to say.

"Oh, I see." A thought suddenly came to his head. "Haven't you had this conversation before?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, if your #5 told you what you told me, how did your #5 learn it if not from his #5?"

"I don't know, but do yourself a favor and try not to think about it."

"Right. Umm, why not?"

"Because its one of those chicken and the egg questions."

"I see, and did your #5 tell you that?"

"For your information, yes," he said rather defensively. "Now, what did I tell you about thinking about it?"

Harry just walked away shaking his head. 'Probably good advice, not thinking about it, that is. I wonder if I can get off not telling #2 that stuff when I become #5? But if I did that, then I wouldn't have told myself what I just heard, and then I wouldn't have just had that conversation and then that stuff Hermione mentioned might happen and this could get way too damn confusing.'

The days turned into weeks and soon he found himself at his fifth repetition of that week. It was only now that he had come to realize the price of the repetition of time travel: frustration. For Harry, it had been over a whole month of solid study and practice. To everyone else in the world, it had been a whole week. This was depressing enough. What made it worse was knowing that he had at least four more weeks in normal time before he was taken away to Grimmauld Place. Four weeks. Almost five months from Harry's perspective. All together he would be pushing six months if he counted the week he was just finishing up. He started to obsess about it until he remembered what his #5 had told him, though in a different context: Don't think about it.

Ironically, he was brought out of his musings by #2 who was asking something about why he was running ahead of schedule. Harry suppressed a grin as he answered, thinking back to when he was on the other end of that conversation. As much as he wanted to tempt fate, he went ahead and gave #2 the same advice #5 had given him.

As the fifth week came to a close, Harry felt he was really starting to improve. He felt as if his spells were stronger even though he was able to cast most of the spells he knew without the incantation. His wandless had improved significantly and was now able to do the candle lighting thing #5 did for him, though the more practical and relatively more difficult spells such as stunners and basic jinxes were still beyond his grasp. The apex of what he was trying to accomplish that week would happen Sunday after Harrys one through four went back into time..

While Harry had originally decided to perform two rituals that weekend, he ended up on focusing on only one as the prep time was greater than he anticipated. Both of the rituals he was considering were a class of rituals known as creature based rituals, where as the magic of the caster blended with the magical components used in the ritual to imbue the caster with magical properties based on those of the creatures the components came from. These were considered, morally at least, neutral. Legally, they were dark because of the risk of using them. Though neither one of them technically enhanced his magical power, they did help him in other ways. One of the rituals required a potion that contained the Pheonix tears and the Liensie wings. Once completed, he would have limited regenerative ability. Basically, if all went well and he didn't screw it up, minor cuts and bruises would heal up in a matter of minutes, while more serious wounds such as lacerations and broken bones would heal at an accelerated rate. It also would provide Harry immunity to most diseases, both magical and muggle.

The second ritual Harry planned on performing was more focused on stealth and hunting. This one required the werewolf hair, Shadowcat fur, and the Liensie wings. It would increase his strength and speed without making him physically bigger. It also improved his senses, including his mental awareness. The one aspect that excited Harry the most was, while generally not as all around useful as the other results, was the ability to blend in with shadows. It was similar to a disillusionment spell, but required darkness to use it. Also, unlike the disillusionment, it would allow Harry to move without being seen by such devices as Moody's eye. As soon as Remus' owl had arrived with the necessary ingredients, Harry had dragged a rather large cauldron into the chamber he and Dobby had set up in the trunk. As Harry sat there preparing the motion, he smiled at the thought of Dobby and his reaction to Harry's time travel scheme.

It would be an understatement to say the elf was surprised when five Harry's sat down at the dinner table that first night, but he had quickly become accustomed to it. Indeed, once Dobby got over the shock of seeing five of him, he seemed to get even more excited. Apparently, if serving one Harry Potter was an honor, than serving five was even better. Odd house elf logic.

Since then the elf had been a life saver, keeping everyone on track, in the right rooms, and following schedule. It was actually Dobby who had pestered Harry about starting on the potion for the ritual. Once the potion was completed, the ritual's procedure was rather straightforward, which surprised Harry. All he had to do was make the really complicated potion, learn how to draw a rune on himself perfectly, and memorize the rather long incantation in some obscure dialect, and he was ready!

Harry turned his attention back to brewing. Once the potion was ready, he would have to pour half of it into the rune that was carved into the floor. Then he would have to inscribe a rune onto his chest with some of the potion that was left. He would then perform the required spells, and, should everything go well, he would come out unscathed with some nice new abilities. If he screwed up, he would have a weird rune burned into his chest and most likely he would suffer some form of magical backlash and possibly strip himself of all magical ability. Harry had merely shrugged off the concerns that had formed it the back of his mind and had set to work. He wasn't sure when it happened, but he had started to consider himself a bit of a gambling man.

Harry added a few more ingredients and potion seemed to be almost finished. Noting that the color had turned an aqua blue, he pulled out the small vial of phoenix tears he had and added four drops. The liquid quickly bubbled and then turned and emerald green. He sighed in relief, he had made it successfully so far. There was only one more ingredient left to add. It was the one ingredient he wasn't too thrilled about adding, mainly due to his prior experience with it.

Pooling all his resolve, he pulled out a sharp knife Dobby had procured for him. Very carefully, he pierced the tip of his finger. He held his finger over the potion and allowed a few drops of blood to fall in. The potion seemed to sizzle as it turned from its emerald green to black.

He let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. The potion looked as the book described it. Of course, other things may have gone wrong, but that was unlikely. Wrapping his finger up, he conjured a cap for the cauldron. Luckily for him, the potion would remain potent for up to a week, though he would be using it in only a few days, which would give him time to practice the inscribing of the rune, which he would have to do with his wand, and memorize the incantation. It was going to be a long day. Wiping his hands on his robes, he headed back into the tent for dinner.

Saturday passed by in a blur as Harry used all the mental exercises he picked up on his rush to learn Occlumency to help focus his mind to memorize the ritual. He also had trouble drawing the appropriate rune on himself, which he practiced for hours on end with his wand, some mustard, and a mirror.

'And this is supposedly one of the simpler rituals in the book.' He though wryly as he had to erase the rune from himself as he accidently drew one of the rune lines five degrees off.

Indeed it was relatively simple, since it required only one potion and one rune. Others out there were far more complex requiring dozens of runes on both the body and the chamber, plus anywhere up to five potions. One of these rituals he actually wanted to attempt when he got back to Hogwarts. It wasn't so much as he needed Hogwarts resources, it was more that he needed the help of Hermione. The ritual, referred to in _The Path to Power_ and the _Ritual of Enoch_, was an extremely complex, powerful, but inherently light power boosting ritual. It was also very picky. To use it successfully, the caster had to have some pre-existing condition for which the ritual could work off of. In this case, he had two. The blood protection left by his mother, though pretty much voided by Voldemort, still was there and could be utilized to enhance Harry's magical reserves with those of his now-dead mother. The second source of power that the ritual could draw on was the power that Voldemort had transferred to him almost fifteen years ago. The ritual would give an amazing boost in power, possibly bringing him up to a more competitive level. However, there were side effects.

The first was that he would be changed physically. Should the ritual unleash dark magics, it would start to disfigure the body into something more demonic. If it were to unleash light magics, say those given to him from his mothers blood protection, it would improve the body and make the person seem more angelic. Harry figured it would do one of two things: it would either do nothing, or he would be changed in both directions.

The second issue was the _need_ of a Second. It had to be someone who Harry trusted completely, for a variety of reasons. The first was that while the simple rituals he was going to perform only required one, maybe two runes to be inscribes on himself, the _Ritual of Enoch_ required almost one hundred, quite a few in hard to reach places like his back. The second was that the Caster of the ritual would have to use the Second as a point of reference for their mind. You see, the ritual would unleash an enormous amount of power at one time into the body and mind, and if the Caster did not have a Second to mentally latch onto, then the flood of power would drive the Caster insane, or worse, fry their brain, killing them. While this was all good and well, it presented some 'problems.' First of all, the Second would contain a fraction of his power, which wasn't so bad, but the second was that since the Caster had to make a mental connection to the Second, it gave the Second a small amount of control over the Caster. Not much, but if the Second really concentrated, they could force the Caster to follow one simple command. 'It would be best if Hermione did _not_ know of that. She would either refuse to help or exploit it to keep me in line.' Either way, the result was not what Harry wanted. Luckily, he had a few months to figure out how to convince Hermione and find a way to negate this effect. It's not that Harry didn't trust Hermione not to abuse such power, its just that she was always so bloody concerned for his safety that she might use it at bad times. 'Or good times,' he thought sadly, thinking back to when she tried to stop him from going to the ministry.

Sunday soon rolled around and Harry got to say goodbye to his replicates. He was quite glad that the week was over, though a bit nervous about the ritual. Once this was done, he had to start work on the second one, though it was very similar to the first. Once the replicates had left back in time, Harry left the tent and went to the ritual chamber. The sooner he completed it, the better.

Before descending into the trunk, Harry made sure both the door to his room and his tent (where the trunk was currently held) was sealed. Once in the chamber, Harry turned to the task at hand. Carefully, Harry uncapped the cauldron and pulled it over to the center of the room. He carefully tipped it, pouring some of the black liquid into the rune carved into the floor, stopping when the liquid was level with the rest of the floor. He pulled off his shirt and conjured a mirror, dipped the tip of his wand into the liquid in the cauldron, and proceeded to trace the ritual rune on his chest. The rune was drawn upon his torso with practiced ease. He checked it in the mirror again before banishing the mirror. Taking the cauldron, he poured the remaining liquid into the four braziers in the room and lit the liquid with his wand.

He kneeled carefully over the rune on the floor, supporting himself on his knees and toes so as to not disturb the liquid in the rune beneath him.

He held his wand above him and began the incantation. The strange tongue now fell easily from his mouth after hours of practice and he could feel the magic gather around him. As he continued to chant, the flames in the braziers leaped into the air and sped towards him. The flames hit the rune beneath him and the liquid there caught fire, engulfing Harry in flames. Harry continued the chant as he felt the rune on his chest burn. In a flash, the flames burst, filling the whole room with fire. Then it stopped. The flames receded back to the braziers and Harry lowered his wand and took a look at his chest. The rune he had inscribed on himself was gone.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Harry decided to try it out. With a wave of his wand, he conjured a sharp piece of glass. He grabbed it and poked his finger with it. He watched in excitement as the blood quickly stopped and the wound healed itself right before his eyes. The ritual had been a success.

R-o-t-G-L-

Hermione wandered down Ruelle Verticale, the Paris version of Diagon Alley. It was all very exciting! Wizarding culture in France was quite a bit different than the British Wizarding culture. Apparently, the French muggle-born and half-blood wizards were involved in the French Revolution and had helped overthrow the great Pureblood families. Of course, some of the biases weren't completely wiped out. House elves were still enslaved and werewolves were still looked down upon, but not to the extent that they were in Britain.

Currently, Hermione was with her parents looking for a birthday gift for Harry. Normally she got him something practical, like a homework planner or a book, but this year she wanted to get him something special. It was, after all, going to be his sixteenth birthday.

"Mum, what do you think I should get him?" Hermione looked at her mother as she spoke.

"Well, you have known the young man for what, five years?" Hermione merely nodded in the affirmative. "How about something to celebrate your friendship, like a picture of you two or perhaps a locket?"

"A picture might be good, but a locket, mother? Its not like we're dating or anything."

"Of course not dear, you only talk about him all the time, and if you aren't talking about him, you're worrying about him, or both." Hermione just huffed in annoyance as her father joined in.

"Indeed. Every time you come home, it's Harry this or Harry that. If you two aren't dating then you should be," Mr. Granger said with a smirk and a conspiratorial wink to his wife.

"Dad! It's because he's my best friend, nothing more. And besides, he needs someone to worry about him, it's not like I can trust him to take care of himself!"

"Of course dear, of course." Anne Granger said in a very patronizing tone while she shared a small smile with her husband John. Hermione missed both.

"I still like the picture idea, though. Lets go see what the options are for magical frames." With that, Hermione walked off in search of a shop, with her parents following behind.

They entered a little store called Magasin de Photo de Warlocks. There were all sorts of frames. Some had legs and would walk around the table while others would whistle little tunes or change colors. Hermione picked out a hinged double frame with room for an engraving on the bottom. They spent a half-hour getting it customized. When it was done, Hermione was pleased. It was personal, but didn't insinuate anything beyond friendship. At least she hoped not. She couldn't help but also pick up something practical, so she got him a book on translation spells. When her mother asked about the choice of topic, she merely shrugged and replied that while defense books were more practical, she didn't want to remind him that an evil wizard was out to kill him by getting him one.

The next morning the Granger family was eating breakfast in their hotel room when the wizarding post came. A witch owned the hotel they were staying at and she provided her magical customers with a daily newspaper. Anne Granger, who had some knowledge of French, noticed the headline.

"Look, Hermione, there is something about the British ministry in the paper." Hermione grabbed the paper and looked at the headline.

_**Le Ministre Britannique a Déshonoré !**_

_Le garçon qui a vécu et les associés exposent Voldemort au monde au ministère britannique._

"What does it say, mum?"

"Oh, something about the British Minister being disgraced and that your 'just a friend' Harry exposed Voldemort to the public. Again." Anne looked pointedly at her daughter. "So, Hermione, I believe it would be correct to assume that you know what was going on? I am, of course, interested in knowing what my daughter is doing going after dark lords, especially with a young man." Hermione shrank back in her chair. She always feared her parents pulling her out of Hogwarts because of the danger. They tended to be a bit overprotective of their only child. After all, it wasn't like she would ever have faced a troll or Death Eaters if she had gone to the nice muggle boarding school like she had planned before she got her Hogwarts letter.

"Well, mum, it's not what you think. You see, Harry really had to go, and its not like I was just going to let him go, and while I knew it was a trap he can be so stubborn sometimes. So I naturally had to go to make sure he stayed out of trouble and..." Hermione stopped as her parents broke out in laughter. She looked at them like they were mad before yelling at them. "What! You're not angry? Upset? More importantly, what is so funny!" It was her father who recovered first.

"Calm down Hermione. You see dear, we already know what happened, along with everything that happened during the past few years." Hermione looked terrified.

"Y-you know? How? Why didn't you say anything?" Now her mother spoke.

"What kind of headmaster do you take Mr. Dumbledore for Hermione? Of course he filled us in, we are your parents after all, even if we are muggles. And as for why we never mentioned it, we knew you were trying to keep it quiet. We decided that if you felt it was important enough to not inform us for fear that we would take you out of Hogwarts, then we would let it be."

"So you're not mad?"

"Mad? No. Disappointed that you didn't discuss it with us? A little, but we got over it. Now, enough of this depressing talk. What are we going to do today?"

R-o-t-G-L-

After he completed the first ritual, his training seemed to speed up and he quickly lost track of time. Very early on he noticed a most welcome side effect of the Ritual of Health. Besides regenerating wounds, it also regenerated the body as a whole, meaning that he technically didn't need sleep. Of course, he still required energy, so the trade off was that instead of three full meals a day, he had to have four. Dobby was, as always, happy to oblige. During the first week of Week Harry performed the second ritual. He spent much of the remainder of the week learning how to disappear into shadows and to test out his new strength and speed. This result of the ritual was more beneficial than he had predicted. With his magically enhanced strength, he found that he could easily use his sword in his left hand while keeping his wand in his right, therefore solving his off-hand difficulties. It was also that week that Remus came by for another visit. Harry, being the youngest and thus less likely to appear completely different to Remus was nominated to be the groups spokesperson.

"Its good to see you Remus." Harry greeted his friend as they sat down in the living room. Remus, however, was giving him an odd look. "What is it Remus?"

"You look different, Harry. I mean, I only saw you last week and it looks like it's been much longer than that! You're paler, a bit taller, though only barely, and your, well, more filled out." He then looked at Harry warily and raised his wand. "Its like you're a fake Harry." Harry merely let out an exasperated sigh.

"Ah, well, I have been busy. But I guarantee you, I am still Harry." Remus still looked at him suspiciously. "Oh, stop it Remus, you're going to make me feel unwanted." Seeing as how Remus didn't appear to be buying his story, he huffed, "fine." Harry raised his hand and, concentrating for a moment, summoned Remus's wand. The old werewolf just looked at him, shock and fear written all over his face.

"Who the hell are you and what happened to Harry!"

"Remus, it's me. I used those components you got me in a ritual or two. And then there is my training regiment. All put together, I might have changed a bit." Remus looked at Harry warily for a few moments as he mulled over what Harry said before seeming to come to the conclusion that Harry's explanation made sense.

"Really Harry? Can you show me then?"

"Umm, Remus, I don't know if that is a great idea. You may not be happy with me."

"I won't be upset with you Harry. I just want to know what you've been up to." Harry studied him for a minute, using his limited Legilemency to see if Remus was being honest. Liking what he saw, he gestured for Remus to follow him. Luckily, the tent was currently disillusioned, so Remus didn't see it. Harry did, however, show him the other chambers of his trunk, which he had removed from the tent after completing the rituals, as well as his ritual chamber. After demonstrating for Remus some of his new abilities, Remus felt Harry had satisfactorily explained his changes. He wasn't happy that Harry was going through rituals, but he understood why Harry did it. They talked for a few hours before Remus had to leave. Just before he left, he told Harry that he probably wouldn't be able to visit for a few weeks as he was going off on a mission for the order. Harry nodded in understanding and once his werewolf friend had apparated away, Harry went back to work.

He could now spend almost twenty four hours a day reading and training. While extremely boring and taxing on his patience, he got by using his mental exercises to focus solely on his work and not on frivolous and fun things. By the third rotation into the second week of his training, Harry had mastered using wandless magic to gain the same effects as the spells from his textbooks. They still took a bit of time and energy to cast, but it was definitely a remarkable improvement from what he had learned already. He had also already moved onto the more powerful combat magics with his wand and sword.

The sword was another thing he was proud of. With four other skilled Harrys around, he was given ample opportunity to practice using it with his wand. He also worked on using the blade as a weapon. He knew he was doing little more that swinging around a dangerous object, but random swinging had worked for him in the past. Just ask the basilisk. It was after Harry's first power enhancing ritual during the fourth rotation that he really began to have fun.

He had learned the _Malleus Maleficum_ spell during the third week, but using it left him tired. It also took an inordinate amount of concentration to pool enough power to cast it. The spell had been created by some Italian witch about four hundred years ago in a mockery of the muggle witch-hunts of the time. Even so, the spell's name, _Malleus Maleficum,_ or 'Witch's Hammer,' was an appropriate title. The spell was a wave of magic that spread out from the caster, latching onto the magical energy of everything around it, especially other witches and wizards, and propelled them away from the caster at very unsafe velocities. This usually resulted in the victims being slammed into some object or another, often incapacitating them.

It was also conveniently unblockable. Since it latched onto magic, it either passed right through shields, or worse, used the magic in a shield to enhance its strength. Harry had also discovered, contrary to what the old bookseller in Knockturn Alley had said, it was almost a 'light' spell. It was emotion based, much like the Unforgivables, but instead of hate and anger, it used what Bellatrix had so aptly called 'righteous anger'. Harry liked to think that it was truly a light version of an Unforgivable. Of course, testing the spell required the other time travelers and a lot of cushions.

After his first power enhancing ritual, Harry found he could easily use the spell and continue with a duel. With a larger reserve of magic, Harry was actually able to feel the magic in him when he concentrated, and he was eventually able to create a small ball of magical energy between his palms. The magic itself was rather neutral. It wasn't like he could throw it at something or use it heal transfigure a goat. It was nothing but pure, unmodified Harry magic. Soon he started to make a game of it, trying to see how long he could maintain the ball of energy between his palms. He had tried to do it with one hand, but found it nearly impossible to maintain. Anyway, once he was able to maintain the ball of energy for long periods of time, he began to shape the energy and the color.

'I'm like some freaky balloon artist!' He thought happily as he held his magic in the form of a thestral.

The benefits of the exercise were two-fold. It not only worked on his concentration but it also helped build up his magical reserves. That, and he figured that in a worst case scenario, he could be a street artist in Diagon Alley, making fun shapes for kids as he held his hat out to collect donations. He was beginning to think that the increase in power might have also have affected his mind.

'Might explain why old Voldie and Dumbledore are who they are.' He thought humorously.

Harry had also found himself working on one of the unforgivables, the killing curse. He had decided that he, at this point in time, did not have the capacity or need to effectively use the Cruciatus or the Imperious. The killing curse, however, he knew had to be done. His surge in power had also led to the mindset that it was a relatively humane way of killing. He had been struck with this epiphany when he had been practicing minor spells such as the severing charm and had accidentally cut through his bedroom door and sliced his dinner table in half. Once that had happened, he experimented with a few other spells and found them to be severely damaging and most likely fatal is used against another human. Apparently, the old man in the bookstore was right.

It was during his fourth rotation and Harry had received a letter from Ron (they had drawn straws to see who would write the reply) and was just finishing up his reply when #5 approached him.

"Harry, are you busy?"

"You already know the answer #5, so why do you ask?" He merely grinned.

"True. Well, we, that is the rest of us, were wondering if you felt up to a duel? See how good you are against us, or yourself, if you will."

"Isn't that a bit unfair? I mean, you know how it will end, I know how it will end, its ended the same for us as I have already done it three times."

"You know, you would think it would be predictable and thus pointless, but it is not. Its always good to get experience and see duels from different directions. Besides, whether the outcome is pre-determined or not, you know its fun to duel."

"Fine, I will be ready in a few minutes. Rules the same for us as always?"

"Yeah, no blades and nothing fatal." Harry just nodded his head and turned back to reread the letter before he sent it.

_Ron,_

_It's good to hear that your family is doing fine and that Percy has been accepted back into the family. I still can't believe that you are actually helping Charlie with the dragons! Perhaps when you get back in August we can go to Diagon Alley together. As for me, summer has been pretty boring. I've actually done quite a bit of reading. I can definitely say that I have caught up on everything I should have learned in school so far. I think Hermione would be proud. And to answer your question, no I haven't received any letters from her, not that I expected any. She will be on the move and probably won't have access to an owl. I would send Hedwig, but I have to keep her here so I can contact the Order. Well, my family is waiting for me, so I need to get going. I will see you when you return._

_Harry_

'More half-truths.' He thought with a shrug. 'Better than outright lying.'

Harry donned his black and gold combat robes and met the others in the spare bedroom in the tent. He smirked as he listened to Harry, a.k.a #1, comment about the room.

"What did you people do to this place!" It was quite impressive. The room was about the size of a basketball court, with solid wood floors and brick walls that soared so high that the ceiling was well beyond eyesight.

"I would think it was obvious! We, that is to say, I, expanded it. You really didn't think we would all fit in that one bedroom, did you? It will only last an hour or two though. I mean, it is rather big and I didn't want to pump all my energy into making it permanent." It had been #5 who had answered him.

"You expanded an already magically expanded space? We can do that?"

"Well, _we_ can do that. You can't. Yet. But well teach you after the duel. Speaking of which, we should get started. The walls have cushioning charms, so no one should get hurt. Badly." They all took up positions in a corner, except for #5, who chose to stand in the middle.

Harry was nervous, he always was. This would be the first time he would be using his new found power from the ritual against an opponent, and it was not just any opponent but himself. They knew him implicitly, what his thoughts were at this moment, what spells he knew, the tactics he would take. 'I think I would rather face Voldemort. At least you can surprise him!'

They stood there, their wands at the ready, eyeing each other warily, looking to see who would make the first move. Harry caught #5's eyes. Bringing his mental resources to bear, Harry attacked his mind. The two of them had now dropped all pretenses and were staring into each other's minds. Harry felt the harsh probing of the other man. He didn't bother to defend himself too much. The man already knew what Harry was thinking. As they stared, the others watched. This had always been the most variable part of the duel. #5, who knew what Harry was thinking, or had thought, tried to be ahead of Harry in thought so he could use his knowledge to shut down whatever plan Harry conceived before he could put it into motion. Harry wasn't going to give in. Suddenly throwing up his mental shields, Harry cast a stunner at #5 while he banished #3 wandlessly. Now that Harry had made the first move, the others joined in.

Harry immediately rolled out of the way as a beam of blue light flew past him, impacting on the wall behind him. He cast the strongest shield he knew and pulled some lint out of his pocket and tossed it to the ground. With a quick wave of his wand, he transfigured the lint into a thick circular stone wall that defended the corner he was in. Soon the other Harrys were sending blasting curses far stronger than any _Reductor_ at his wall, blowing huge holes in the stonework. Harry disillusioned himself and grabbed a chunk of rock. Muttering _Portus_, the rock glowed blue and Harry gripped it firmly as he felt the tug behind his navel.

He found himself in the middle of the other Harrys, who had started fighting each other when Harry disappeared, believing him to have been knocked out when the wall was blown up. Harry twirled his hand above his head as a wave of flame exploded out of it. The others barely had time to throw up shields as the flames washed over them.

Taking his advantage, Harry began throwing hexes at the others. He was able to catch #2 and #1, knocking them out as he flung them against the wall. He did not, however, have much time to celebrate as he was sent spinning threw the air as a curse from #5 struck his shoulder from behind. He landed against the wall, dazed. He summoned his wand to his hand just as #5 finished #3. They again took up a dueling stance.

"I take it that this has happened before?" Harry said as he and #5 began to circle.

"Of course! The end of the duel has always been pre-determined, no matter what we say or do. The fun of it is that you don't know what will happen." He flung a weak stunner at Harry.

"So, who wins?" Harry said after uttering a quick _protego._

"Now that would be cheating! Why don't we find out!" With that, #5 fired a bolt of black energy at Harry. He threw himself out of the way, haphazardly casting a cutting hex back at him. They traded spells back and forth, with Harry quickly wearing out as he didn't know half of what #5 was throwing at him.

Harry laughed as he caught his opponent in an anti-gravity mist very similar to the one he encountered in the maze after the fourth task. His mirth abruptly stopped when #5 turned into a wispy black smoke. Harry cast a few spells at the smoke as it moved its way out of the AG mist to no effect. The black smoke suddenly reformed into #5, who promptly shot chains out of his wand, wrapping themselves around Harry. It was now #5's turn to laugh.

Harry struggled, but found he could not break the bonds. He tried a multitude of wandless spells, to no effect. #5 merely stood there watching, a superior grin on his face.

"Why Harry, I do believe I have won. Or do you wish to struggle some more?"

"I haven't lost yet." Harry snarled back. He thought about what #5 had done. If wandless magic was all about intent, he just might be able to do it. Focusing, Harry commanded himself to become smoke. The chains fell to the ground as his body lost its substance. At first Harry was a disoriented and his stomach felt like it was doing flips, as he could see all around him at once. The swirling of the smoke didn't help either. Concentrating, he forced his body to resumed shape. Apparently, he didn't concentrate enough.

Harry's body did reform correctly. Unfortunately, he didn't concentrate on orientation. He suddenly found himself looking out of his eyes, only to find himself watch the ground come rushing up to meet him. As soon as he hit the floor, he was hit with a stunner and he knew no more.

He woke up to find #5 leaning over him, grinning.

"I must say Harry, I am impressed. I know I learned that the same time as you did, but I thought that with my experience, I would be able to stop you before we came to that point. Alas, I was wrong."

"Dear god!" Harry groaned, "You sound like Albus!" #5 just grinned. "So tell me, how did I last long enough to duel you while the others got taken out?"

"That's just how it works. Its odd, you know. You are #4 and have seen and experienced all the duels as well as I, yet we still can't overcome the inevitable outcomes, no matter how hard we try."

"Perhaps, no matter what magic is used, we are incapable of creating a paradox?" Harry mused.

"Of course we can't! At least, it doesn't seem like we can. Some Muggles and wizards have this silly notion they call the 'Grandfather Paradox.' They think that if you could go back in time, you might kill your grandfather and thus not be born." Harry interrupted here.

"But if I were to kill my grandfather and not be born, who would go back and kill him? So that would mean that a paradox could not be formed. Something would have to prevent it."

"Exactly! It really puts a fatalistic perspective on life, doesn't it? It would seem that every event has a purpose and those events can not be changed."

"Sure lends more credibility to the idea of prophecies." Harry said in a slightly defeated tone. #5 just nodded. They sat there for a few minutes, contemplating the ramifications of fate, when Harry's stomach growled. "I guess its time for dinner. Lets go wake up the others."

* * *


	8. An End to Summer Training

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 8:

An End to Summer Training

* * *

Harry smiled as he read through the letter he had just received. It was the first rotation in the, what was it, fourth week since he had started the whole thing? He shook his head, slightly confused. When he had started, he had just wanted more time to learn and train. With the time turner, all he had seen was the ability to at least quadruple his available time and had not given a thought to the overall logistics of it. This included such things as feeding himself (luckily Dumbledore came through for him), keeping track of time in the outside world (he had to make sure he made an appearance once a day to keep his guard from getting suspicious), and the whole confusion of keeping the other four replicas of himself organized. He turned back to the letter Hermione sent and read it over once more.

_Dear Harry,_

_My parents and me just got back from our trip to Paris! I can't wait to tell you all about it! Did you know that their laws restricting werewolves and house elves are far more lenient and practical than the ones here? Then there was the Parisian version of Diagon Alley, which had a bunch of amazing shops, especially the bookstore. Unfortunately, most of the books were in French, and I'm not very fluent. We also spent a few days in the south. The beaches were amazing! I am a bit disappointed in myself as I spent more time than I should have out by the water. I didn't even get to finish half of Hogwarts: A History on this trip! Oh dear, I think I'm rambling. Anyway, I hope your doing better than when you left. If you need any help with anything, summer school work, whatever, let me know. I still haven't received my OWLs yet. Honestly, how long does it take to grade them?_

_My mom and dad say hello and hope you are doing fine. Its odd, really, as they have expressed some interest in meeting you. Odd, but family can be like that sometimes. Unfortunately, next week my family has decided to have a sort of reunion at our house. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to tell them about Hogwarts? Of course you do, what was I thinking? You live with those terrible muggles. I have already talked to my parents and they have agreed to let me stay at headquarters later in the summer, so I will probably meet you there. Take care, Harry._

_With love,_

_Hermione_

When he read about Hermione having a family get-together, he was hit with two emotions. The first was sadness. Sadness that he would never have a family like that and that his family had been torn away from him so long ago. The other emotion made him feel a bit guilty however, as it was relief. He truly did miss having a family, but without one he was afforded much more freedom. 'I don't want to know what would have happened to me if I had to explain to my parents half the stuff I've done. I also doubt any parent would allow their child to do what I am doing now!'

His training was hard work, and at times it seemed like it had been going on forever. But it was also fun and rewarding. Finding a powerful spell and working it until he could perform it flawlessly or successfully completing a ritual gave him a sense of accomplishment that not even Quidditch could match. He now understood why Hermione loved her books so much. It was never that they were books (okay, maybe for her it was, but she had always been a bit loopy when it came to texts) it was what she learned from the books.

He had achieved a level of power he never thought possible when he had first started his schooling at Hogwarts. He was at the point where he could almost will his magic to do something and it would be done. He still felt he did not have the power of either Dumbledore or Voldemort, but he felt confident that he had just as much if not more control over the power he did have than either of those two wizards. Someone had once said that Dumbledore could do things with a wand that he had never seen before. To that, Harry would say 'to hell with wands! They are tools to assist, but are not necessary!' This was not to say they were impractical. Harry had found that extended use of complex and high powered wandless magic wore him out a lot quicker than if he used a wand or blade. In a prolonged conflict, using a wand might just save his life. Well, and not all spells could be done wandless. Rituals required the focus and control of a wand, as well as the 'unforgivables,' both the normal kind the one Harry had discovered.

He was contemplating his power, Hermione's letter on his desk in front of him, forgotten, when slight ringing filled his room, indicating that one of his wards had been tripped. Early during his fourth week of practice, had set up some basic wards to tell him when a witch or wizard entered the house, giving him time to prepare to fight if necessary. He stepped out of his tent and looked at the foe glass he had hung next to his door. Noting that there were no distinguishable figures, he pocketed his wand just as his Aunt Petunia called him downstairs. As he entered the Dursley's living room, he was surprised to see not only Albus Dumbledore, but also Amelia Bones, head of the magical law enforcement sitting on a couch. His aunt had long ago vacated the room.

'Oh shit! Please don't tell me I got caught.' He pleaded to whatever god was listening.

His fears were put to rest as Dumbledore looked at him with his eyes twinkling.

"Hello there, Harry! Come, take a seat. Madame Bones just had to ask you some questions and we will leave you in peace." Harry just nodded and took a seat on the couch opposite of the two.

"Mr. Potter, after the interrogation of the Death Eaters caught at the ministry, we believe that we have enough information to clear Sirius Black's name." Harry snorted at this, earning a disapproving glare from Albus but ignored by Madame Bones, who continued on. "While we understand that has passed away, some of us feel that he should get the proper recognition for his heroics and an official apology. I understand that he was close to you, Mr. Potter. I also understand that you have a very low opinion of the Ministry, but I want to assure you that Minister Fudge does not represent the entire Ministry. That actually brings us to the second reason I am here. We are conducting an investigation of Dolores Umbridge." Harry's ears perked up at that. "What can you tell me about Ms.Umbridge?"

"Well, she admitted to me that she was the one who sent the Dementors after me last year and she threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on me, which she would have done if it wasn't for Hermione. Then there was that damn quill she used for detentions." Madame Bones and Albus were just looking at him, an unreadable expression of each of their faces. "Uh, sir, are you okay?" He asked, looking at Dumbledore.

"What? Oh, yes Harry, I'm fine." Then Madame Bones spoke up.

"What's this about a quill? And not that I want to question your word Mr. Potter, but those are some serious accusations. Do you have any witnesses?"

"I understand ma'am. First of all, the quill was this diabolical little device that, when I wrote with it, cut the words into the back of my hand and used my blood as ink. As for the Dementors and the Cruciatus part, talk to Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle along with a few others were there, but I doubt that they would be too cooperative with the Ministry right now." Madame Bones was writing it all down while Albus just stared at him, which began to annoy Harry.

"Sir, is there something you wanted to say?" Albus just nodded.

"I am sorry Harry, I wasn't aware how many liberties Ms. Umbridge had been taking. Why didn't you tell me?" The old man actually looked hurt at this.

"Sir, you know as well as I that if I did, there was very little you could do about it. No doubt she would write to Fudge and get some new decree passed allowing her to punish students as she saw fit. Besides, I knew you were busy with things, and at the time I had thought you, well, I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."

"Again, I am truly sorry, Harry. I honestly had no idea. However, would you mind showing me the scars from the quill?"

"Not at all sir." Harry lifted his hand and showed them where the words _I will not tell lies_ were engraved on the back of his hand. Madame Bones had also stopped writing and was examining his hand.

"Well," she spoke up, "this is definitely something of importance. That quill is strictly regulated as a class-two dark magic item. Possession alone will get her ten years. The fact that she used it repeatedly on students should probably double that. That's not even counting what the time she will serve if we can prove your other claims. I will spread the word out to see if anyone else was subjected to Ms. Umbridge's detentions." She scribbled something on her notepad before pocketing it. "Well Mr. Potter, I appreciate your cooperation. I still need to get statements from the witnesses you listed and look more into this quill, but I can guarantee you that Umbridge will be put away for a very long time. My report will probably be ready in a month or so. The Sirius matter will probably take longer as to most people, the innocence of a dead man isn't high on their priorities." Harry just nodded as Albus and Madame Bones stood up.

"Amelia" it was Dumbledore who spoke. "I have some business to take care of, so I will meet you at the Lovegood's in say, a half an hour?"

"Very well Albus. How about around noon then? I want to get this filed away and send out some owls anyway." Albus just nodded and Madame Bones apparated away. Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"Well Harry, would you please show me what you have been up to? And I don't mean that abridged version you showed Remus." The old man's eyes were twinkling madly behind his half moon spectacles. Harry merely nodded and headed for the stairs.

"You really should get out more often Harry." The old man spoke as they headed up the stairs. "You're as pale as a ghost. When was the last time you spent any significant amount of time out in the sun?"

"A little over fifteen weeks sir." Albus quickly hid his look of surprise and just nodded to indicate that he had heard. Harry led him down the stairs into his trunk. He showed him the same things he showed Remus, but then he took him into the tent.

He could have sworn his heart stopped.

As soon as they had entered the tent, Harry and Albus were face to face with something that looked like it came from the pits of hell itself. It was at least two meters tall and insect-like in appearance. Its carapace was black and red with at least three pairs of vicious looking pincers and black snake like tentacles sprouting out of its back, all of that topped off with a giant maw that had sharp, quarter meter long teeth.

It happened so fast that Harry had no time to react as the tentacles wrapped around him and Dumbledore. The snake-like appendages squeezed around him tighter as Harry braced himself for what promised to be a most bloody end. Suddenly, laughter broke out from all around them and both him and Albus were released, sending them crashing to the floor. Harry looked around to see all his duplicates in the room, looking extraordinarily pleased with themselves.

"What the hell is that thing!" Harry screeched at them as soon as he collected himself. Albus had just grabbed his wand and backed up, pointing the wooden stick at the monstrosity.

"That, Harry, is the Demon!" Harry looked at #4, the one who spoke, incredulously. It was Albus who voiced the thoughts that were going through his head.

"I'm sorry, but that is impossible. Demons don't exist. At least, not on this plain of existence."

"Well, they do now!" It was #5 who spoke, who appeared to be trying to suppress some giggles (something Harry hoped never would come from his mouth again), and was failing miserably at it. Seeing as how both Harry and Albus were still wary, #5 banished the 'demon' before continuing. "Come on Harry, surely you know how it was created? Think dogs, giant lizards, and our little exercises with accidental magic." Harry plowed through is memories before it him. He shook his head in disbelief at how dim he had been.

"Harry," Albus asked, seeing as how his young friend seemed to figure out what was going on, "care to explain to the old man who doesn't have the luxury of having the same though processes of everyone else in the room?" Harry looked at Albus, mirth clearly evident in his face. The old man had obviously had regained his composure once the thing had been removed. Harry himself took a moment to compose himself before continuing.

"Transfiguration sir. It's like that trick Cedric tried to do with the dragon during the first task. Instead of a dog, #5 here made a mythical creature. Quite amazing really." He then scowled and threw a mock glare at #5. "Of course, #5 _always_ has to show off." Albus, however, was looking at Harry in something akin to awe, an expression Harry had never seen on the old man before.

"Really! What spell did you use? I have never heard of such a thing!" Albus was now bordering on giddiness at the prospect of such a new and unique spell. Harry proceeded to explain to him about his training and some of the unexpected skills he had picked up. Needless to say, Albus was impressed.

"That is amazing Harry. Though, it is a pity that there are no incantations. It does make it harder to teach it to other people." He suddenly adopted a pensive look on his face before continuing. "Tell me Harry, are you concerned that the power you are gaining might eventually corrupt you? I know we have discussed this before, but that was before you had begun your training. Now that you have made leaps and bounds in progress, has your opinion changed?" Harry thought for a moment before answering honestly.

"I won't lie sir. When we are in the middle of a duel, our power flowing through us, its downright intoxicating." The other Harrys nodded in agreement. "I think the difference is that, for me, us, whatever, power is a means to an end. I do what I do because it needs to be done. For Voldemort, power is an end unto itself. More than that, it is an obsession to him. I truly think that for power to be corruptive, there must be something in the person that will accept the taint of power." Albus scrutinized Harry before speaking.

"Didn't the hat try to put you in Slytherin Harry? Not to sound negative, but wouldn't that suggest that there is a part of you that may desire power for powers sake?" 'Well how the hell am I suppose to answer that!' Harry though bitterly. However, Albus was still looking at him expectantly, so he figured it would be best to answer.

"Er, well, um, possibly. But as you yourself once said, it is all about our choices." Albus looked at him skeptically before sighing.

"I suppose it is a risk we will have to take." He glanced at the clock before turning back to Harry. "Harry, I want you to do me a favor. I understand you may not wish to get closer to other people, what with the prophecy and all, and that fiasco with Ms. Chang may have soured your opinion of relationships. Bu Harry, I beg of you, don't isolate yourself when you get back to school. You need your friends, both to help you and to keep you grounded. As it is, I am starting to have concerns about how much time you have spent by yourself gathering power. You may lose sight of why you are doing this and may very well lose yourself in power."

"I understand that sir, but are you not asking me to 'live'? If I recall, I don't exactly have a choice."

"That may be Harry, but that does not mean you can not try to love and be happy." He held up his hand to stall Harry's rebuttal. "Yes, the prophecy supposedly says otherwise, but that part can be interpreted many different ways. Otherwise Harry, I am quite pleased with your progress. I do need to go meet Amelia. Just remember what I said."

"I will, sir."

Good. Now, if you will excuse me." Harry nodded and escorted Albus out to the front door of #4, where he promptly disapparated. When Harry returned to his trunk, he found his replicates still hanging around.

"You!" He pointed his finger at #5. "You're going to show me how to do that!" #5 just nodded and they headed off to another room to practice transfiguring things into imaginary creatures.

Albus apparated to an alley near the Lovegood's home. He shook his head as he thought about the meeting he just had. He doubted Harry even realized his power, having spent the majority of his time around only himself. The young man had certainly become a powerful wizard and his power could be felt radiating off of him. Soon, he was quite sure, Harry's level of power would surpass even his own and he had to make sure he was there to guide the young man when it did.

It was a lot of hard work, but Harry soon found himself creating a variety of odd creatures that they had officially labeled as 'constructs,' but he and the others had affectionately started calling their creations Harry's Frankensteins. Luckily, these could be transfigured back to their original shape and were under complete control, unlike their namesake. With his improvement in transfiguration, he and his replicas had gotten into the habit of carrying around a small pouch of glass marbles so they would have always have something to create constructs out of.

Harry's favorite part of creating these constructs was going out to get the creative inspiration so he could design what his creations would look like and how they should move and behave. The idea that what he was doing might border on illegal magical experimentation didn't even register with him. After he had gotten the basics of transfiguring things from memory down, Harry and #3, who had magically disguised himself, set out on a field trip of sorts. Their destination? The video store. The wizarding world had nothing compared to the visual creativity of muggle Hollywood. They picked up as many science fiction and fantasy movies they could that had odd creatures and aliens. Harry had come back to #4 Privet Drive with bags full of movies. Twirling his wand idly in his hand, he calmly told the Dursleys that he would be using the TV for the next few days. Those few days turned into almost a week as he watched movies non-stop, fast-forwarding through them until he reached the parts that had what he was looking for.

It had taken a bit of practice, but Harry had soon found a body style that he could standardize in his mind for later uses. The magic itself was a bit odd for Harry, as it seemed to be half transfiguration and half conjuring. This made it a bit too complex for his controlled accidental magic and thus required a wand to create one of these constructs.

Harry's training continued for the remainder of July, going through another week of time travel, until it was the Sunday, July 28. In that time, he had learned to apparate (after splinching himself a few times, an experience he hoped never to repeat), had advanced on his transfiguration and Dark Arts. Though he was now capable of forcing his magic to create results without incantations, he found that learning new spells was beneficial in two ways. The first was that he learned of new and unique spell effects that he had never even considered. The second was that by casting a spell designed to create a specific effect, he was able to 'feel' how the magic as it did its job. By memorizing that 'feeling,' he found it easier to duplicate its effects when doing it wandlessly. He had also advanced in Charms and his DADA books.

Potions were another story altogether. Sure, he made progress, but unlike his other studies, high magical power did not translate into brewing skills. He was competent enough now to create the potions for the lower level rituals and even some of the medium level ones. Pretty much most NEWT level things. However, very complex ones such as Veritaserum, Wolfsbane, and the one needed for the Ritual of Enoch were currently above his skill level. He was going to need help.

He had even tried his hand at Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. He had given those up rather quickly, though. He figured it was a bad sign that even after all his mental exercises and enhanced mental performance, he had read the beginning books for both subjects and was still confused. Apparently, it was one of those things that you really needed a mentor for.

That Sunday morning he had sent the other four Harry's back in time. The Saturday before his uncle said something about Marge coming to visit, but the two had easily agreed that Harry would stay in his room, be absolutely silent (which wasn't too hard since he was in his tent most of the time anyway), and they would just tell the woman that Harry had gone elsewhere. Settling down in one of the chairs in the sitting room of the tent, he got ready for his magical exercise. He had decided that since he would be going to Headquarters that Saturday, he would go ahead and take the rest of the week off from time travel. This didn't mean he was going to slack off though. Sitting himself comfortably in a plush chair he had conjured, he set to work on exercising his magic.

R-o-t-G-L-

Kilometers away in a rather nice old home, however, Hermione Granger was anything but comfortable. Today was not going to be a good day, she just knew it. The weather was terrible, with a system of summer thunderstorms predicted by the meteorologist to hang around all through the week. What made it worst was that today her family was having their reunion. Its not that she didn't like her family, it's just that it was so hard not being able to talk to them. Her families on both of her parent's sides were very motivated people. Her cousins would probably talk about what nice jobs they had at some corporation or in the government while her grandparents, aunts, and uncles would grill her on what she planned on doing with her future. All the while, she had to tactfully avoid the questions since she couldn't tell them about being a witch. Then there were her younger cousins, who always seemed to bug her to no end when she tried to read.

Currently, Hermione was sitting at her desk, waiting for the first guests to arrive.

The young woman was re-reading the letter Harry had sent her last week. She really missed her best friend. While she was still concerned about his well being, he did sound better from his letter, though some parts had left her even more worried.

_Hermione,_

_You should be proud of me. I actually have all the summer school work done, and I did a damn fine job if I do say so myself (though I don't know why they assigned any when we don't even know what classes we will be taking). I have also taken the initiative to read up on more defense spells and such for the DA. Yes, I plan on continuing it if anybody is interested. I will also need your, ah, assistance on a project once we get back to Hogwarts. I'll tell you about it later, but rest assured that the only person I trust for such a delicate task is you. _

_However, now all my new is good. After careful thought, I have decided that, even if I am allowed to play again this year, I will not be joining the Quidditch team. I don't really have time with all the things I need to accomplish this year. The reason I am telling you this now is that I have no clue how to break this news to either McGonagall or Ron. Hell, how do I tell the rest of the Gryffindors without getting mobbed? I am not so naïve as to think I am not important to the team. Indeed, without me, the team will have Ron and Ginny as the senior members. Nothing against them, but they are lacking in experience. Anyway, if you could help me brainstorm an easy way to let them down, I would appreciate it. Even with all of my free time, I have yet to come up with a plan. You know my personal interaction skills leave much to be desired and I really don't want our Head of House's wrath to descend on me. Well, that's all that's going on over here. I look forward to seeing you at headquarters. It really has been too long since I have seen my friends._

_Your best friend,_

_Harry_

_P.S.- About your family thing, maybe you should get a Skiving Snack box from Fred and George and play sick? Best of luck on that front._

She had actually been tempted to take Harry's advice, but her sense of family responsibility had won out. She did take some solace in the fact that they would be gone by that evening. 'Unlike that fiasco two years ago where they stayed two whole days!' She thought grumpily.

"Hermione! Your Aunt Lanai and Uncle Ian will be here soon! Hurry up!" Her mom yelled up to her. Hermione put Harry's letter in a drawer where she kept the other ones he sent and checked herself in the mirror. These get together things her family had always tended to be a bit formal, and it wouldn't do any good to go down looking anything but proper. Her mom greeted her as she came down the stairs.

"Really Hermione, you spend way too much time in your room. What were you doing up there?"

"Just reading."

"Well, okay dear, but you should go out and enjoy yourself more often. Anyway, like I said, your Aunt and Uncle will be here soon so I would like you to greet them while I finish up in the sitting room. Okay?"

"Sure, mom." Anne Granger just nodded and went to finish making sure the rest of the house was in order. 'Why do I have to answer the door? Is she trying to make this day more difficult on me?' Just then, there was a knocking at the front door. Hermione, building up her internal strength for the inevitable questioning, went and opened up the door.

"Hermione! How wonderful to see you again!"

"Hello Aunt Lanai, Uncle Ian, Melissa." Hermione nodded her head to each person as she spoke his or her name. "Won't you please come in. Mum is in the sitting room."

"Why thank you dear." Lanai said as she led her husband Ian to the sitting room, leaving Hermione with her cousin Melissa. Her cousin Melissa was, of course, Lanai's and Ian's daughter. She was twenty three years old, but despite her age, she preferred to travel with her parents to family functions. The woman had recently finished her university education, graduated with honors, and was now on the fast track to becoming the head marketer at some corporation or another. A success, just like everyone else in her family.

"So Hermione, how have things at school been?" Damn, she just had to jump right into the murky waters. She hoped this wasn't an omen for how the rest of the day would go.

R-o-t-G-L-

Harry let the magic absorb back into his body after working it for the past two hours. He was tired, and the best cure for that (in his case, anyway) was food. Or pepper-up potions, but the food always tasted better.

"Dobby?" At the sound of his name, the small house elf popped into the room Harry was sitting in.

"Yes, Master Potter sir?"

"Would it be too much trouble to get a snack? I'm famished."

"Of course not Mr. Potter sir. Give Dobby a few minutes and it will be ready." With that, he popped away to the kitchen. Looking at the clock he noticed that he still had a few hours left in the day, and he didn't want to waste it.

"Master Potter sir, your food is being ready, sir."

"Thank you, Dobby." Harry entered the kitchen to find that, as usual, Dobby's version of a snack was more like a full meal. Shaking his head at the predictability of the elf, he ate as much as he could. He had decided what he would do with the rest of his time, and he would need his energy.

"Dobby!" He called out when he was done.

"Yes, Harry Potter sir?"

"I'm going to be busy for the rest of the day, and will probably turn in early. If you want, why don't you go spend some time with Winky?"

"What about getting things ready for the other Master Potters?"

"Don't worry Dobby, they won't be coming around for a while. Take a break, you deserve it." The elf just grinned happily at the praise and began to clean up the kitchen.

Harry left the tent and went to his ritual chamber. He would get one more done before he re-joined the rest of the world. Besides, if he finished it today, he could pretty much relax for the rest of the week.

Today's ritual would be similar to the last power enhancing ritual, except this was a bit more complicated. It didn't require a potion, but instead a bit more power. The last one he had done merely enhance his power by draining the magical energy from a magical vessel and using it to reinforce his 'core' as he was calling it. The difficulty was creating a vessel to drain power off of. He actually had poured his energy into the vessel (the object happened to be an old crystal vase Aunt Petunia had thrown out). There was then a long and complicated procedure that modified and enhanced the magic, changing it so that it would be absorbed into his core, instead of just dispersing when it entered him. Then he had to perform the ritual.

The one he was performing today followed the same basic concept of using a magical vessel, except that it also matured his magic. It would seem that as a person and their magic aged, the power of ones magic also increased. The point of this ritual was to 'mature' his magic, so that when he was finished, his overall power would be permanently raised. Like the concept of a magical 'core,' the idea of 'maturing' magic was more of a conceptual idea to help understand what was going on than any sort of scientific explanation. There was not one single, central place in the human body where a wizard's magic existed, but the imagery of a magical core helped him to exercise and draw upon his magic.

The process for this ritual was a bit different also. The first three had followed similar lines: scribe the rune on the body, use the liquid component and fire, and hope it works out. This time, there was no potion or flame, just magic, willpower, and the vessel. The vessel also had to be a specific object; for this ritual; it had to be a silver dagger. Seeing as silver daggers were not something easily picked up in a store, he had been required to conjure one. That alone had taken enormous energy, as he had to create it out of a rare metal _and_ make it permanent. Then he and the other four Harry's had each worked on pouring magical energy into it for two weeks. It was only now that it was ready.

Wearing only simple canvas pants, Harry prepared for what was probably the most dangerous ritual yet. The risks had been high the last few times, but this time it was an all or nothing. The possible consequences of the other rituals were merely being reduced to squib status. This one could kill him. Of course, he had tried to reason to himself, the prophecy said only Voldemort could kill him, but since, in this case, it would be more like killing himself, he was slightly concerned.

He sat cross-legged on the center rune of the ritual chamber. Holding the dagger steady, he began the necessary chant. The dagger began to glow slightly, signaling the next step in the ritual. With a practiced ease, he dipped the tip of the dagger into his flesh and began to carve the necessary runes into his chest. He had to utilize all the mental discipline he had achieved over the past few weeks to ignore the pain of the knife cutting into his flesh and continue with the ritual. The longer the ritual went on, the brighter the dagger glowed and it had started to vibrate. By the time he had finished carving the runes, it was a challenge, even with is enhanced strength, to hold the blade steady. He continued to chant, the runes he had carved in himself went from a sharp, stinging pain to a throbbing, burning pain. All the while the blade continued to glow.

Soon the blade looked like it was made of nothing but brilliant, white energy. He placed the tip of the blade right above his heart and as soon as he uttered the last guttural syllable of the ritual, he plunged the blade of energy into his chest. In a flash of light, pain tore through his body, concentrated on where the blade had pierced him and spreading out through the runes. It felt as if someone had taken a sharpened stick of salt and was gouging out the runes on his body. While extreme, the pain was far more tolerable than the Cruciatus. The surge of energy lasted much longer than those of the previous rituals and it felt as if the power was spreading throughout him, touching every part of his body, getting soaked up.

When it finished, he slumped down to the ground and tried to catch his breath. Moving his eyes, he checked to make sure that stabbing himself had not resulted in mortally wounding himself. Seeing as he was not laying in a pool of blood, he felt he could assume that it was a success. Glancing down at his chest, he was pleased to see that the runes he had carved into himself were nothing more than welts now and would probably be sometime tomorrow. He finally pushed himself to his feet. Even though he had supposedly just increased his magical energy, he felt completely exhausted. Without Dobby around to prepare a high-energy meal, he decided that, for the first time in months, he was going to sleep.

R-o-t-G-L-

Hermione was having a really bad day. The weather was terrible, she had to deal with her family, and what was worse, she now was sitting with her mum's parents and her cousin Melissa and her parents. Everyone else had gone home, but noooo, they just had to hang around and interrogate her about her life. Well, that wasn't completely fair, the conversation had started out innocently enough, with Melissa asking about her parent's dental practice. It was when the subject turned to Hermione that things went downhill.

"So, Hermione," Her Grandmother asked, "have you caught any young men's eyes?"

'Thanks grandma, jump straight into gossip,' Hermione mentally complained. 'I suppose it is better than asking about school.'

"Why yes she has, mother," Anne butted in before she could answer, "there is this lovely boy named Harry that Hermione just goes on and on about."

"Really Hermione?' the elder lady said. "Why haven't we heard of this before?"

"It's really nothing Grandma, as I have told mum on countless occasions." At this she glared at her mom, who was choosing to ignore her. "We are just really good friends." Hermione explained. It was then her grandfather who spoke up next.

"Now Hermione, no need to get all upset with your mother. Besides, I think that it is wonderful that my little girl finally has her eye on a boy. It's about time you learned that there are more things out there than just books and knowledge." At this almost sacrilegious statement, Hermione sputtered indignantly but failed to form a coherent reply.

"Really, Hermione, it's nothing to be ashamed about." Now Melissa had joined in. "Besides, no matter how productive it is, you can't spend all of your time reading. I think a boyfriend would be good for you." Hermione merely threw a glare at her cousin. "So, does this Harry fellow go to your school? Is that where you met him?"

"Yes she did, and she just can't stop talking about him!" Now her dad had joined. 'Great,' she thought, 'I might as well just leave the room for all practical purposes. Oh well. I wonder when they will leave? I just thought of something I wanted to add to my charms essay. Maybe I can get extra credit from Professor Flitwick.' Her musings were cut short when she heard her name called.

"Hermione?"

"Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly. "I just spaced out for a moment."

"Thinking about your future boyfriend Hermione?"

"No Melissa, I was not. I'm sorry grandmother, what did you ask?"

"Its all right dear. I was just asking about the school you go to. Hogwarts wasn't it?"

"Yes Gran, Hogwarts School for the Gifted."

"Right, right, what are you studying?"

"Oh, I um..." Whatever excuse she was going to make up was quickly cut off as a green light flooded through the windows. Hermione rushed to the front window to see what was going on. Outside, floating above the street, was the Dark Mark. And right below it was about five people in black robes with white masks. "Oh no."

"Hermione, what is it?"

"Mum, it's the Death Eaters. You know, those guys who follow Voldemort." At this, both Anne and John paled at this. Albus Dumbledore had told them about those people when he had contacted them about Hermione's involvement in the ministry incident. That was on top of what Hermione had told them in Paris after reading the newspaper about that very same incident. Hermione pulled out her wand, which she had had hidden in the sleeve of her blouse.

"John, Anne, what going on?" Hermione's mind didn't register which of her family members said it. She was focused on one thing only, keeping the rest of her family safe.

"Sorry Grandma, there's no time to explain. Everyone should move to the kitchen. We need to hurry, the wards are falling." Hermione said in a very rushed, panicked voice. The rest of her family complied when both Anne and John had started to head towards the kitchen. As soon as her family had entered the kitchen, Hermione cast a quick _colloportus_ and an _imperturbable_ charm on the door, hopefully protecting her family.

"Anne! What's Hermione doing? We can't open the door! What's going on?" Anne just looked on in shock. Her daughter had sealed them in, but had stayed out to try and protect them.

Hermione, at that time, was standing in the sitting room, scared out of her wits and was giving herself a pep talk. "Alright Hermione, what would Harry do? He's faced off Death Eaters before and come out unscathed. Right, keep moving, dodge what I can, try to block what I can't. Charge in head first and hope you come out ok. No! Bad idea. God, I hope the Order gets here soon!"

She saw a bright flash as the last of the wards around her home came down. She again cast the _colloportus _spell and an unbreakable charm on the font door. Seeing as how they had brought down the wards Dumbledore had set up, it was then safe to assume that they wouldn't have too much trouble breaking down the spells on the door. She ducked behind a wall, her wand ready, and waited. She didn't have to wait long. As soon as the door burst open, she was casting.

'_Stupefy!'_ She heard the satisfying sound of a body hitting the ground. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to celebrate as she had to jump out of the way of a killing curse. She replied with another stunner, only for it to be blocked by a shield.

'_Reducto!'_ Hermione barely had time to throw up a shield as the wall she had ducked behind was obliterated in front of her. With the dust obscuring both her and the attackers vision, she thrust her wand out in front of her.

'_Petrificus totalus!'_ She shot wildly through the cloud as another killing curse whizzed by her. By now the cloud was beginning to settle. She could now make out at least four of the Death Eaters. Apparently, they weren't too interested in reviving their comrade just yet.

'_Avis!'_ A flock of birds flew from her wand. She tried running deeper into the house, trying to lead them away from the kitchen.

Unfortunately, one of the Death Eaters was successful in banishing the birds and had hit her with a jelly legs jinx. Right afterwards, she was struck by the disarming spell and the Full Body Bind. The Death Eaters surrounded her, wands pointed at her.

"Well, looks like we caught ourselves a mudblood." The Death Eater that spoke kicked her in the side. "Not so tough now, are you?" This brought a laugh out of the rest of them.

"Did you really think you could defy our lord and get away with it? You and your friends will suffer for your insolence!" Another shouted.

"So mudblood, what do you think? Should we kill you first, or let you watch as we finish off the rest of your family?" He said with a sneer. If she could have moved, she would have cringed. That had always been a fear of hers after she had come to realize the dangers facing the wizarding world, fear that her family would get dragged down into the danger she willingly put herself in.

"Don't worry mudblood, you don't have to answer just yet. In fact, I want to have some fun first!" With a malicious glint in his eye, he aimed his wand at her head.

'_Cruci..._' His curse was stopped short as a bolt of red energy slammed into his chest, throwing him to the ground. The other three turned around to face their new opponent. More bolts of red light flew towards them, striking one and missing the other two, who quickly disaparated. Hermione felt was wave of relief as Kingsley Shackelbolt, Auror and member of the Order of the Pheonix, stepped into her field of view. He quickly removed the spells that were binding her and helped her up. She looked at who else had shown up. Besides Kingsley, there was Remus and two other men she couldn't place. They wore robes similar to Kingsley's, so she assumed that they too were Aurors.

"Are you okay Ms.Granger?" He asked as she dusted herself off.

"Yes, thank you. Could you check on my family? They're in the kitchen."

"Right. Remus!" Hermione turned to see the last of the Marauders nod his head and turn towards the kitchen. "Now Ms. Granger, Dumbledore has given us a portkey that will take you to headquarters."

"What about my family? They can't just stay here!"

"No, they can't. For now we will bring them with us until we can re-establish the wards and fix the place up. If necessary, we can obliviate them later." Hermione just shook her head as Remus escorted her family into what was left of the entry and sitting room. Upon seeing her daughter, Anne Granger flung herself at Hermione, gripping her in a bear hug.

"Don't you ever do that again young lady! We were so worried about you!" She then turned to Kingsley, still clutching her daughter. "What happened?"

"Not to worry ma'am. Albus will talk to you when you get to headquarters." With that he pulled out a meter long piece of rope. "I need everyone to take hold of this. We will bring some of your personal belongings later. Right now the priority is to get you to safety." With that said, Hermione, her parents, her grandparents, and her cousin, grabbed the rope and found themselves traveling to #12 Grimmauld Place.

R-o-t-G-L-

Harry had just fallen asleep for the first time in what would be months for him when the sound of klaxons tore him from his slumber. His wards were going off. Wizards had entered #4 Privet Drive, and from the sound of it, there were more than just a few of them.

* * *


	9. The Fall of Privet Drive

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 9:

The Fall of Privet Drive

* * *

"Where are we going, father? It's raining outside, can't this wait?" Draco being his usual whining self, complained to his father. The weather was terrible, as a summer storm had decided to descend upon much of England that day. His father, who had been freed only a few weeks ago, had arrived back from a meeting with the Dark Lord a few minutes ago and had immediately told Draco to grab his wand and put on his cloak.

"Quit your whining, boy, it is unbecoming of your station," the elder Malfoy sneered. It was times like this that he felt he had been too soft on his son. "The Dark Lord has graciously allowed you the grand opportunity to witness the defeat of one of his most outspoken opponents, so do be silent and be grateful you have been given this gift by our lord."

"Potter!" Draco, the sick little boy he was, could not hide the glee in his voice. "You're going to kill Potter!"

"That is correct. Now, you will wear this the entire time you are there." Lucius tossed his son an invisibility cloak. "And do not lose that! I do not wish to explain to the Dark Lord why one of his cloaks has gone missing! Remember, you are only to observe, not to get involved. Is that understood?" Draco knew from his father's tone that any argument would be futile.

"Yes father," he said sullenly.

"Good, now grab this portkey." Lucius Malfoy handed his son one end of a piece of rope, ignoring the small pout on Draco's face as the two Malfoys felt a tug behind their navels pull them to their destination. They found themselves standing amongst a group of about thirty other Death Eaters, all milling about in their masks and black robes. Despite his relatively small number of followers right now, the Dark Lord was not willing to risk this mission failing and had sent most of his already limited forces to ensure the death of Harry Potter.

"Lucius!" A harsh female voice called out to him. "About time you showed up! We have been waiting on you."

"My apologies, Bellatrix," Lucius replied with the trademark Malfoy sneer, "but I had to take care of some business for the Dark Lord before we proceeded. Speaking of which, are we ready to proceed?"

"Quite ready," she snarled before addressing the whole group. "Lucius, Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Peterson, Avery, Wilson and Smith, you all are with me. Our job is Potter and his family. The rest of you, deal with the muggles then regroup at Potter's house. Do not, however, allow Potter to escape! Rabastan, you take your men and watch the exits. Keep them secure while the others torch the neighborhood. Now, get into position!" With that, all the Death Eaters began to disperse, moving off in their groups to their pre-designated positions.

The group of nine led by Bellatrix headed off to #4 Privet Drive, with Draco tailing behind in the invisibility cloak. They seemed to have no concern about being spotted in the terrible weather and strode proudly to their target. The rain and wind seemed to have no effect on the Death Eaters as their robes remained unmoved by the howling wind and the rain appeared to not touch the cloth at all. As they neared the house, Macnair looked as if he had noticed a slight indentation in the grass off to his left where the rain seemed to behave a bit oddly. Without a second though, he pointed his wand in the general area. _'Accio Invisibility Cloak!'_ A cloak flew to Macnair 's hand leaving a startled looking Mundungus Fletcher standing in the open. Before he knew it, the old criminal had been stunned and bound. Once he was secure, Bellatrix walked over to the body and revived him.

"Ah, Mr. Fletcher," she said in a falsely sweet voice. "Doing the dirty work for that Muggle-loving fool Dumbledore? Perhaps watching over a Mr. Harry Potter. Hmm?"

"I don't know what you plan to accomplish here," Fletcher said with as much false bravado as he could muster. "There is more than just me protecting the boy!" Bellatrix laughed at the weak defiance in the old criminals voice.

"Do you really think my master is ignorant of the protections around the Potter boy? Just like the old fool, you underestimate the power and knowledge of the Dark Lord!"

"Potter's untouchable! The blood protection will keep the likes of you out!" While the old criminal tried to sound confident, his voice held a waver of fear.

"Really?" Bellatrix seemed to purr. "Do you think that the Dark Lord would not find a way around the blood protections? Or perhaps the old muggle lover has overestimate the strength of these wards and underestimated the skills of our Lord and his servants? Either way, you are very much mistaken. Oh, and don't go thinking that your Order is going to save the day like last time. Our Lord has been planning this for a very long time and has already taken steps to ensure the success of tonight's operation."

"What are you talking about?" a noticeable panic had crept into Fletcher's voice. Vernon Dursley's timing could not have been worse, for at that moment, he pulled his car into the driveway to #4, completely unaware of what was going on. Fletcher tried to yell out a warning but was elbowed in the face by a near-by Death Eater, and whatever noise he had made was drowned out by the rain and wind. Vernon, meanwhile, got out of his car with a small plastic bag of groceries, grumbling about having to walk to the house in this atrocious weather, only to have two Death Eaters block his path. He spluttered and his face turned a shade of purple before he managed to get any words out.

"What is the meaning of this! I will not have freaks like you tainting my property! I have guests and I don't want you poisoning them with your unnaturalness! I demand that you leave immediately!" None moved, and even a few were heard snickering at the stupid muggle. Vernon was just inhaling to continue his shouting when Lucius stepped forward and after a quick _Imperio_, Vernon calmed down. McNair stepped forward and pulled a rather large carving knife from within his robe and pushed it into Vernon's hand.

"Now," Lucius began speaking again, "Go and kill your family. And please, make it long and painful." With that, Vernon, his eyes slightly glossed over, turned around and walked calmly into the house, carving knife in hand.

Bellatrix turned back to Fletcher. "Now, my dear Mundungus, what should we do with you?" She grinned wickedly and the others smirked, as they knew that whatever Bellatrix was planning, it would be very unpleasant.

Draco stayed back and watched in morbid fascination as his father and his cohorts dealt with the enemy of the Dark Lord.

R-o-t-G-L-

Severus Snape was not having a good day. He had been busy preparing potions for Madam Pomfrey so she could heal the children who were stupid enough to get themselves injured during the school year. Really, he reasoned, would it not be more educational if they learned to brew the healing potions for themselves? Unfortunately, those who ran the school disagreed. So, he had to spend his day creating such mundane concoctions that he almost wished something would happen.

Fate had apparently heard his plea.

It was midday when his mark had started to burn. Albus was out on Ministry business, so leaving a note on his own desk, Severus had to Floo to his house where he then apparated to the Dark Lord's side. He was surprised when he got there. It appeared as if all of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters were present. He joined his place in the circle and waited for the rest to show up. As soon as all of his followers were there, Voldemort made his appearance.

"Welcome, my Death Eaters. Today we shall finally show our strength to the world and continue what we started so many years ago. Today, we shall destroy the Boy-Who-Lived!" Cheers came up from the gathered witches and wizards. Even as Severus cheered, his mind was racing. 'Didn't Albus have the boy under some powerful wards? I'm positive he said they were impenetrable. Has the Dark Lord figured out how to break them?' His thoughts continued to race as Voldemort quickly calmed down his servants gave them their orders.

This was how Severus Snape found himself going from house to house along Privet Drive, killing muggles and torching the houses. He hated it. Normally, he had no problem tormenting students, for they no doubt made fun of him behind his back and probably deserved it. But these helpless people hadn't done anything do deserve his ire, and it made him sick. There were reasons he had left the Dark Lords service those many years ago, and this was one of them. Severus had hoped to be on the team that went after Potter. Perhaps then, he might be able to save the foolish boy. As he dwelled upon this thought, he couldn't help but feel confused. What was so important about the boy that Albus took great pains to protect him while the Dark Lord had devoted almost his entire force of Death Eaters to his either killing the boy or bringing him in (the dementors had remained with the Dark Lord so as to protect the manor)? After all, he was just an arrogant whelp who was far too much like his father and survived by luck.

There were too many Death Eaters for Potter to escape, Snape told himself. This came to him as no surprise and this had always been the Dark Lord's failsafe plan. All his others had been made so as to minimize the risk of his forces getting captured or killed. Seeing as Potter had foiled all of those, this was the back-up: an assault on Potter's home. Like everything the Dark Lord did, it was planned out well, perhaps over-planned, but planned out none the less. All through the school year, Death Eaters had prepared to create new wards and negate the old ones around Privet Drive, while the campaign of terror in the rest of the muggle neighborhood was planned in such a way that it should have the maximum effect on the rest of the populace. What better way to kill the Boy-Who-Lived than to have his corpse surrounded by so much destruction? If that did not break the spirit of the wizarding world, then the wizarding world was far stronger than it had ever indicated before hand.

What really upset Severus, however, was that Harry Potter was going to die and he would have to explain his actions, or lack thereof, to Albus when he got back. Sure Albus would understand, to a point, but the old man though too highly of the brat and would probably give him a guilt trip for not being able to protect Harry. Mentally sighing, Severus turned back to his task of killing the muggles. He would definitely need to brew a dreamless sleep potion when he got back to Hogwarts. As he set fire to another home, he kept repeating to himself that he really hated his job.

R-o-t-G-L-

It had taken Hermione and Remus almost a half an hour to calm down her family. If the attack hadn't rattled them, then the trip by portkey certainly did. Of course, they were all panicked for different reasons. Her parent's were upset because she had put herself in danger and had kept them from helping. Her grandparents and cousin, however, were shocked because not only had they just been attacked by wizards, they had discovered that their wonderful, if elusive granddaughter (or cousin), was a witch as well.

Right now, Hermione was with her family in the sitting room of #12 Grimmauld Place. The house had been cleaned up since Christmas. The walls, while remaining dark, had been scrubbed and the chandeliers and serpent door handles polished. The only real renovation was the addition of pink carpeting. Oddly, after seeing some of the ridiculous things wizards and witches dressed in, this didn't surprise her.

Remus had remained there also so he could help explain the situation to the muggles as Kinglsey had to go to the scene of another Death Eater riad. An uncomfortable silence descended over the room, no one exactly sure what to say. Hermione fidgeted. This summer had not been good, as all of the little secrets she had been hiding from her family had come to light in a most unpleasant way.

"So..." It was Melissa who finally broke the silence. "What's it like being a witch? I mean, do you really worship demons and stuff?"

"No Melissa, that just a belief created by ignorant muggles a long time ago. I am pretty sure that-"

"Muggles?"

"Sorry, non magic folk." Melissa just nodded her head in understanding.

"John, Anne, why didn't you tell us?" It was her grandmother who had spoken. "We want to be apart of our granddaughter's life! Did you not consider us?"

"We wanted to tell you mom, we really did." Anne cried out. "But there are rules about secrecy that we needed to follow."

"But why would it matter, Anne? We could have kept it in the family." The older woman sounded almost pleading.

"If I may?" Remus had decided that his intervention was most likely necessary to prevent a rift in the family. It seemed everyone had forgotten about him as they just stared at him, before nodding at him to continue.

"The rules were created hundreds of years ago when the muggle world actively hunted witches. While they were generally unsuccessful, it proved to the magical world that muggles could not handle the idea of magic. I'm sure much of muggle culture has changed and the idea of magic may possibly be acceptable to now, the magical world, however has not changed much in the past few hundred years. The pureblood families, though a minority, practically control the ministry and they are very much stuck in the past. In fact, breaking the Statute of Secrecy on any sort of large scale can lead to a sentence in Azkaban. So, whether or not you kept the secret or not is inconsequential. Had the ministry found out, it may have led to legal trouble, anywhere from expulsion from Hogwarts to prison time." He then turned to Anne and John. "Would I be correct in assuming that you received a letter informing you of this?"

"Yes, it came with Hermione's acceptance letter." John then turned to his in-laws. "Anne really did want to tell you, but the letter was very insistent that only the immediate family could be informed. Will you forgive us?"

"We understand, John. We may not be happy about it, but we understand." With that, Hermione's grandfather turned to Hermione. "Well, what's done is done and things can't be taken back. Now that your secret is out, why don't you tell us what you have been doing for the past few years."

"I agree. What has happened has happened, but I still want to know what you have been doing with yourself all these years Hermione." Hermione's grandma added.

"Yeah, and don't spare any details!" Melissa chirped in excitedly, obviously trying to brighten everyone up. "We were just attacked by your world, so the least you could do is give me, I mean us, all the juicy details." Hermione just smiled at Melissa. She always knew how to lighten the mood. She glanced around at the expectant faces of her family, glad that they had accepted her so easily, glad that they were willing to move on so quickly after an attack. If talking kept their minds off of the attack, she had no problem participating.

"Well," Hermione began, getting into her lecture mode, "as you know, I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Currently, I am studying the basics; Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History, Potions, and care of magical creatures. I also take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. My best friends at school are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is most likely the greatest powerful wizard of our time."

"You will probably meet him later tonight." Remus added. Hermione nodded to him and continued.

"Right, I should probably tell you where you are. Currently, you are in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization set up by Dumbledore to fight against Voldemort."

"Who is Voldemort?"

"Well, Melissa," Hermione said patiently, "he is the Dark Lord that sent the Death Eaters after me."

"Why did he send those Death guys after you?" Hermione's cousin queried. "I mean, I'm sure you are quite talented witch and all, but I would assume that a student wouldn't be a threat to some evil lord."

"Normally you are quite right young lady, but Ms. Granger here is very good friends with one of Voldemort's greatest enemies." A strong yet old voice said from the back of the room. Albus Dumbledore had arrived.

"Headmaster!" Hermione almost yelled in surprise. "Remus thought you wouldn't be here until later. Is everything alright sir?"

"Yes Ms.Granger, everything is fine. The paperwork at the ministry didn't take as long as I had anticipated. Indeed, I would have been here sooner, but I had to stop by my office to check on some things."

"Were there any casualties tonight Albus?" Remus asked cautiously.

"Luckily no, though we are still trying to figure out what the purpose of these raids were. I will be calling a meeting tonight where we discuss this in more detail."

"Sir?" Hermione asked. "Were there more attacks? I mean, more than mine and the one Mr. Shacklebolt went off to."

"Indeed there has been Ms. Granger. It appears that the families of the students who had been involved in the incident at the Ministry were targeted by Death Eaters this evening. I do believe that your home was the only one that was breached, likely due to the fact that, being a muggle home, it only had a few defensive wards. Most wizarding homes have some form of warding around them, usually put into place by the builder."

"Was Harry attacked?" Both Hermione and Remus asked almost in unison.

"No. When I was at my office, I checked the status of the wards around Privet Drive. They remain intact and un-breached. Harry is fine." Albus replied, though under his breath he added "not that they would have an easy time even if they did breach the wards."

"Was there a lot of damage?" It was actually Anne who asked this.

"No Mrs. Granger" Albus replied, "Like I said, the wards on those homes are strong, and we have Order members watching them. As soon as the Death Eaters showed up, we knew and sent help."

Melissa had stayed quiet and seemed to be pondering something. When she seemed to be unable to adequately answer her own question, she spoke up.

"Which one of Hermione's friends is the Voldemort fellow after? And why does he have these followers?" Albus looked at the young woman. 'Most definitely related to young Hermione,' he thought amusedly.

"Perhaps it would be best if Hermione explained her relationship to Mr. Harry Potter herself? I believe she knows more about Harry than anyone else, including Harry." Hermione seemed to blush faintly at the attention, especially the focus on her friendship with Harry. "If you don't mind, Ms. Granger?"

"Of course not sir!" Hermione then turned to her grandparents and her cousin. "The story really started about fifteen years ago in a place called Godric's Hollow..."

R-o-t-G-L-

An exhausted, half-asleep Harry stumbled out of his tent and into his dark bedroom in #4 Privet Drive. He had spent quite a bit of time today working on building up his latent magic, which was thoroughly exhausting in and of itself. Add in the ritual he had done, he was dead on his feat. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he silently prayed that it was just a false alarm., that perhaps the Order had come early and he was getting all nervous for nothing. After all, he definitely did not feel up to a fight and even if he was, it wasn't how he wanted to spend his evening.

As he gained his bearings in the dark room, a flash of green light drew his attention to the window. He crept to his window and peered outside. The rain was coming down hard and was almost horizontal from the high winds, but he could still see the street. He almost wished he couldn't. #3 across the street was burning, along with at least another dozen homes. And that was just what he could see from his window. He could hear screams and he saw people in white masks and black robes running about killing any of the muggles that tried to flee their burning houses. Suddenly he heard someone begin to scream downstairs. This shook him out of his shock of seeing the carnage outside. Reflexively and with a quick wave of his wand cast a very complex locking charm on his door.

He dove into his tent, grabbed his trunk, and tried to apparate, only to find that the area was covered in an anti-apparation ward.

"Damn," he muttered as he felt his magic well up in preparation for apparation only for nothing to happen.

He kicked his trunk open and snatched the first thing that he found, which happened to be a quill, and muttered _'Portus'_. He grabbed hold of it and counted down to three.

Nothing happened. Looking outside, he knew he couldn't go into his 'smoke form' he had practiced with his duplicates. He had learned in his training that even with magic, he was a slave to physics sometimes and thus wind easily effected him, and the more spread out he became, the harder it would be to re-form. With the wind as strong as it was, he would probably be torn apart before he was even completely out of the window.

He quickly realized that he would have to fight his way out. He looked around his tent, considering hiding out in there, but then he remembered that the Death Eaters were burning the homes and that #4 would be next if they didn't find him. He closed his trunk and opened it up again to the compartment where he held his clothing and pulled out his red and black leather combat robes. He tossed the robes onto the back of one of the chairs and with a quick switching spell was dressed in the combat robes

"Hedwig, come here," he called out to his bird as he headed back into his room.

Sensing the urgency, Hedwig flew to the edge of Harry's desk as he had turned to a spare piece of parchment and had written a quick message as he tried to ignore the screaming coming from downstairs.

"Girl, I need you to deliver this to headquarters as quickly as you can. I know the weather is awful but this is an emergency. I'm going to disillusion you and add some weather protection charms, but I still want you to be careful, okay? Remain at headquarters until I get there or the weather lets up. If I don't make it, stay with Hermione, okay? " Hedwig hooted solemnly in acknowledgement as he tapped his wand on her head and she seemed to blend in with her surroundings. He put a few more charms on her and opened the window quietly. He felt the air move as his beloved bird flew off into the raging sky.

"God speed girl, and good luck."

Suddenly, the screaming from downstairs stopped. It could mean only one thing: the Dursley's were dead. He dashed back into his tent and ran into the small kitchen. Throwing open the cabinets near where he had been practicing potions, he grabbed a handful of vials filled with pepper up potions. He downed one and shoved the rest into a pouch on the side of his robes as he ran back out into his bedroom, grabbing his sword which he had left in the entryway. He heard someone yelling downstairs.

"You! Go check upstairs for the Potter brat!" It was a woman's voice and soon followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. He glanced at his foe glass but all the figures in it were wearing white masks. What bothered him the most though, was the number of masks he saw. He cast a few more locking charms and unbreakable charms on the door for good luck and to hopefully buy him more time. He slowed his breathing and tried to draw up his magic, which was proving exceptionally difficult as the pepper-up potion was taking it's time in getting through his system.

He was quite sure he was bordering on magical exhaustion. He finally felt his magic began to flow though it seemed a bit shaky. This meant he would need his wand and that he would be somewhat limited in what he cast.

'Looks like I will have to keep things simple tonight,' he though grimly as he heard someone on the other side of the door working on taking down his locking spells.

He grabbed his sword in his left hand and gripped his wand in his right as he checked out his window again. Some of the Death Eaters were still torching the homes, but most had taken up position around #4. As he watched the houses burn, he felt anger rise up in him. It wasn't right that those innocents had to suffer because Voldemort couldn't kill the Boy-Who-Lived. Where he had been having trouble gathering his magic, it seemed to flare suddenly at his rising anger. His attention was drawn to the door as he felt the Death Eater getting close to breaking through his spells. He closed his curtains, cutting off the little bit of light that was coming into his room and positioned himself just off from in front of his door, and using the shadowcat ability he had gained at the beginning of the summer, blended into the darkness and waited.

Soon the door burst open and the Death Eater charged in. He stopped in the middle of the room, wand extended, and twirled around, searching for him. Silently, Harry sent up a silencing spell. The Death Eater moved to the window and, tearing the curtains off, peered out of it. The man, seeing as how he could not find Harry, turned to leave. That's when Harry stepped out of the shadows behind him. The Death Eater, hearing his boots on the uncarpeted floor, swung his body around and lifted his wand. He never got the chance to use it.

As soon as the Death Eater has started to turn around, Harry was already moving. Before his opponent even knew what was going on, Harry thrust his sword into the Death Eater's torso, right bellow his rib cage. Without wasting time he stepped fully in front of the Death Eater and placed his wand right against his heart before screaming _'Reducto!'_. In a splash of blood and bone, the Death Eater was blown off of Harry's blade and into the wall across the hallway.

"Shit." While his spell was not heard downstairs, no doubt the death eater slamming into the hall wall was.

Harry looked only long enough to see the gaping hole in the Death Eater's chest and know that he would not be getting up. Harry would have spent more time contemplating what he had just do to another human being but such thoughts would have to wait, as he immediately had to jump out of the way of a killing curse that had come from the base of the stairs.

With his wand he quickly created a golden shield around him and with his sword he pointed down the staircase and the DE at the bottom of it. _'Lacinia caro!'_ The DE quickly raised a simple _protego_ shield, but the dark curse blew right threw it, striking the Death Eater on his wand hand, causing the man to let out an unholy scream as the flesh of his hand and much of his lower arm was stripped away. The man fell to the ground clutching at his mutilated appendage. Casting a quick _stupefy_, Harry sent the man mercifully into unconsciousness. Harry bounded down the stairs and leapt over the unconscious Death Eater towards the door, but was thrown back against the wall as a violet beam of light impacted with his shield.

"Awe, has wittle Potter learned how to play with the big boys and girls now?" He knew that voice. It was the voice that had haunted him in his nightmares. It was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, and, after looking around too, eight other Death Eaters.

He suppressed a groan as he pushed himself against the wall into a standing position. 'If that's what it was like with my shield up, I don't want to know what would have happened if it had hit me.' The realization had also hit home that he had been caught unaware. His anger grew, though now at himself.

"Why hello, Bellatrix." He responded in a most cordial voice. "I take it this is not a social visit?"

"Funny, Potter. It's a pity your relatives did not find the situation as amusing." With that she gestured to something behind her. Harry almost threw up when he saw what was left of his 'family.' Vernone Dursley lay dead, a bloody carving knife in his hand and a look of absolute horror and pain on his face. No doubt it was him who Harry had heard screaming when his wards went off. Next to him was Aunt Marge, her torso cut open like fish with her guts hanging out. He looked down to the floor and closed his eyes; he did not want to even look at his Aunt Petunia. She may not have been nice, but she was truly his only family by blood.

"Muggles are so much fun, aren't they Potter? And so easy to control." Bellatrix then looked at the sickened expression on Harry's face. "What's the matter? Afraid to look at the dead muggles? Really Potter, they are no better than animals and, as such, they deserve to be slaughtered like animals." Bellatrix had long ago dropped her baby voice and was now looking disturbingly gleeful at the prospect of cutting open muggles. "Of course, blood traitors and half-bloods like yourself are little better than them. You are outnumbered, Potter. Any last words before you join your family?"

Harry finally raised his head and stared right into Bellatrix's eyes. The Death Eater was a bit surprised to see not only determination and confidence etched on his face, but also a slightly deranged twinkle in his eyes. 'Stupid, arrogant Death Eaters' he thought, 'I would have thought that by now they would have learned to just kill outright instead of these pointless theatrics.'

"As a matter of fact Bella, I do." With that he whipped his wand forward and cast a _reducto_ curse at the couch that separated him from the DEs and dove into a roll to avoid the hail of curses that were directed at where he had been standing. The dust and shrapnel created by the destruction of the sofa and the multitude of curses that had hit the wall he was standing in front of created enough of a distraction that they did not see him jump to his feet and point both his sword and his wand at the Death Eater. He quietly began chanting _'Vespa'_ as dozens of little yellow bolts of energy sprung from both weapons every time he whispered the incantation. The yellow bolts seemed to swarm around each of the DE's before plunging into their flesh, leaving wounds that were very similar to deep paper cuts. While continue to chant the incantation, Harry made his way to the door.

Just as he had reached it, the door burst open, knocking him to the ground and thus disrupting the chanting. His sword flew from his hand and skid across the tile away from Harry. He heard the man who had just entered start to utter an incantation. Harry tried to roll out of the way, but was not quick enough as a rather powerful cutting hex hit his left arm, slicing through his robes and causing a deep gash to form from his elbow to his wrist.

Throwing up his mental shields to block the pain, Harry tucked his feet underneath him and back flipped away from his assailant. Landing back on his feet, he held out his wand and summoned his sword to him.

"Well, Potter, it seems you have been busy since we last met."

Standing up and taking a defensive stance. "I do aim to make things more interesting for you, Bella."

"What are you going to do Potter? You are outnumbered almost ten to one in this room alone, and that is not even considering our forces outside! You can't apparate, you can't portkey, and we have all the exits covered! You have no hope for escape. The best you can hope for is a quick death if you surrender now."

"I suppose you could just let me go?" he said cheekily. 'Stupid bitch, the more she talks, the more energy I can recover.'

" No." _'Crucio'_. Harry barely had time to avoid that curse only to jump into the path of another spell thrown by another. He cried out as he felt his ribs crack as he was slammed against the wall, again. Quickly casting another shield, he took a step to his left and swung his sword recklessly at the closest DE, who had come closer to get a better shot, slicing cleanly through the man's neck neck. As the man's head fell away from his body Harry began casting hexes as quickly as he could as the other Death eaters descended upon him. He dodged what he could and blocked other spells, but he was significantly outnumbered and quite a few of their spells made it past his shields and were battering him and his armored robes. He staggered slightly as a conjured flaming arrow slammed into his hip. He quickly threw a severing hex at the man who had cast it and saw with a morbid fascination as the spell sliced into his forehead, cutting deeply into the man's brain.

Another barrage of spells brought his attention back to the task at hand a little too late as he was thrown backwards. He hit the kitchen door, which was partially opened, and slammed into the counter. He rolled out of the way as more curses flew his way. With a wave of his wand, he sealed the door, but for how long he did not know. Gripping the edge of the counter, he pulled himself up. He looked around, trying to find an escape route. Peering out the window that faced the back yard, he noticed movement in the smoke and rain. The Death Eaters were still out there, waiting for him should he escape.

"Fuck."

He cast some more locking charms on the back door. It would not do to be flanked. His eyes searched the kitchen, trying to see if there was something that he could use. His eyes settled on Petunia's expensive set of knives that the now-dead horse faced woman never used. 'I suppose payback is only fair.' He grinned maliciously as he pulled the knives out of the block of wood holding them and laid them on the counter, sharp end facing the door. He threw up more protection spells around both doors.

"You!" He heard Bellatrix screams through the door. "Go get the others!"

Harry quickly turned his attention to the Death Eaters outside. It would not do to have them come inside, things were bad enough as it was. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small glass marble. A wicked grin came across his face. Perhaps it was time for reinforcements. Keeping his head low, he sneaked over to the window. He cast a silencing charm on it and pushed it open a few centimeters. Not wanting his actions to be seen by the enemy outside, he put his wand in his right hand and levitated the marble wandlessly out the window with his left. In the harsh rain, no one noticed the semi-transparent sphere float by him or her. Focusing his magic through his wand and onto the round piece of glass, he created his back-up.

Shouts were heard outside as a large, demonic creature very similar to the one that had confronted Dumbledore pounced upon the closest Death Eater, tearing him apart. Harry slumped against the counter. That bit of wandless magic had taken him more energy that he'd planned, and he wanted to do nothing more than go to sleep. An ear-splitting crack filled the room as one of the protective wards he had put on the door and surrounding wall was broken by the Death Eaters still in the house. He didn't have much time.

Confident that the opponents outside were too distracted to watch the house, he headed for the back door. He had to throw himself down as a curse crashed through the window and cut through the air where his head used to be. 'Maybe they aren't all distracted.' Sighing in frustration at not being able to leave by the backdoor, he cast some more locking charms on the back door, going so far as to even conjure a block of stone to jamb the door. If he couldn't go out that way, he didn't want them coming in. It would not do to be flanked.

Keeping low, he reached into his pouch and pulled out two small vials of pepper-up potion and downed both of them. Now was not the time to worry about overdose as the immediate threat was far greater. He felt the rush of energy from the magical liquids flow through his veins. He was ready to face the enemy once again.

He turned to face the door to await the Death Eaters and began focusing on rebuilding his mental shields. His wait, however, was not long long. He heard a triumphant yell as the kitchen door blew apart. He pointed his wand at the knives on the counter. As soon as he saw the shape of a Death Eater in the doorway, he flicked his wand, banishing the knives into the Death Eater's body. He quickly followed with a _reductor_, blowing away what was left of the doorway and hopefully any Death Eater's that were waiting to come in. Throwing up a shield, he threw himself through the doorway and began cursing anything that moved.

The air was thick with noise and light, as the remaining DE's in the house regained their bearings and returned fire. Harry yelled his spells out furiously, using his emotions to power them. Even with the potions he just downed, he had neither the energy nor the concentration to do it wordlessly. He put up a valiant effort, but it soon became apparent that the odds were once again against him. Spells flashed from both his weapons, his blade also flying out to strike any who tried to close in on him, occasionally slashing one of his opponents. He rotated using his blade and his wand. At some times he would create shields with one while attack with another, and vice versa, hoping that by doing so, he avoided any pattern so that the Death Eaters could not predict his moves.

He continued this way for almost five minutes, but knew he could not hold out much longer. His shields were getting weaker and his movements slower from fatigue and injury. At the same time, another group of Death Eaters had finally broken through the back door. By now there must have been twelve standing, 'The same number there had been at the Department of Mysteries' he thought ironically. He began flinging whatever spells came to mind, both Dark and neutral spells. Blasting curses, cutting hexes, stunners, flesh-stripping charms, whatever came to his mind first. Part of him wanted to start flinging the killing curse and get this done with, but he would probably only be able to get a few off before he completely exhausted himself.

His mind did not register when he took down a Death Eater, for there was always one to take his place. There were too many of them, and his shields were becoming almost useless. Fatigue and injury slowed his movements, allowing more curses to hit him. He doubted he would still be standing had it not been for his dueling robes.

Things were not looking up. All his training has centered on only having to deal with at most 4 other opponents without back up, as that was how many duplicates he had. He had also been fully rested when he had dueled with his doubles. Time was running out and he had to do something, and do it soon as he found he had been backed into the corner, his old cupboard to one side of him, the ruined kitchen entrance on the other. 'I am so going to regret this in the morning,' he thought painfully, making a snap decision Casting the most powerful shield he knew with his wizards sword, he pointed his wand at his feet. Summoning all of his so-called 'righteous anger,' he bellowed "_Malleus Maleficarium"_

As he said the incantation, the tip of his wand glowed a brilliant white. When he uttered the last syllable, the ball of energy seemed to contract for a moment before exploding in a flash of bright blue energy. Harry was temporarily blinded as the sphere of energy engulfed #4 Privet Drive. He heard the deafening roar as the spell expanded away from him and blew through the walls of the house. When the light had faded, he found himself on the floor, his back against what was left of the wall. The front wall of the house had been blown out, littering the yard and street with debris while the walls that were left standing were stripped down to the wooden studs that held the house up. Many of the Death Eaters had been thrown through the wall, while others lay prone on the floor. A most unnerving creak indicated to him that the damage to the house had sustained. Fearing that the building would was now structurally unstable and seeing nothing but unconscious DE's everywhere he looked, Harry pushed himself off of the wall and tried to stand up. Pain shot through his legs as he tried to put his full weight on them. Looking down, he adjusted his tattered robe and found out why.

One leg was twisted in a most unnatural angle, either by the after effects of his own spell or one of the Death Eater's, he wasn't sure. The other was worse off, as there was bone sticking through his flesh. He pointed his wand at the leg hat was merely twisted, and with a modified version of what Voldemort had done to force his body to bow during the duel in the graveyard, he straightened his legs. A sickly grinding sound accompanied the pain as his the bones were crudely forced into position. He conjured some splints and using a modified _incarcerous_, he secured the splints to his leg with rope. His other leg would not be so easy. He was pretty sure he had been hit with a bone-shattering spell. While the robes had blocked most of it, some of it still got through. Which didn't help him that much. Instead of having his entire leg shattered, only a few inches were. Apparently, the bone had cut through when he had put weight on it during the battle. He knew that if he made it out, Madame Pomfrey would have his hide.

He jabbed both his thighs with his wand, casting some pain-numbing charms on his legs. Wrapping up his shattered leg the same as the other, though this time with a sticking charm at the two ends of the splint (so they would act as a sort of exoskeleton) he raised himself off of the ground. He out his weight on his better leg used his magically re-enforced sword into a walking stick to keep his weight off of the other. He heard some groans as some of the Death Eaters started to come around, inspiring Harry to get out of there as quickly as possible. Steeling himself against the pain, he hobbled out the ruined house.

Stepping out into the pouring rain, he looked around for any sign of Death Eaters, but with the thick smoke and heavy rain, his visibility was severely limited. He stumbled away from the ruins of what he considered to be his prison for ten long years and got his first true glimpse of what was left of Privet Drive. Homes were engulfed in flames, some fires magical, others not. He had stumbled about twelve meters away from the house, only reaching the road, when he heard a voice cry out through the wind and rain behind him: C_rucio!_

He had no time to react. The curse slammed into his back, throwing him to his knees, screaming, as not even his overtaxed mental shields nor his weak numbing charms could block the pain induced by a cruciatus curse. He felt his weapons torn from his hands as multiple disarming spells hit him. Suddenly, the pain intensified, if that was even possible, as others joined in the casting of cruciatus curse. It felt like an eternity under the curse, and he could feel his mind slipping when suddenly the pain stopped.

He lay on the ground, breathing heavily as he tried to regain feeling in his body and stop the twitching. After a moment of concentration, he was able to pull himself up into a kneeling position only to be greeted by the smiling face of Bellatrix Lestrange surrounded by dozen or so Death Eaters. She looked very much the worse for wear, as did the rest of them, most having been in or around the house when he had literally blown most of it up. However, she was still standing, and he was not. He did not have a weapon while her wand was aimed just above his heart.

"Well Potter, all that effort and look where it got you. Though I must say, you put up quite a fight, much more than our Lord or I had expected. Gave us quite a few surprises, I assure you. But, alas, it was all for naught. You see Potter, the Dark Lord truly wants nothing more than to see you dead, especially since all his plans, not matter how fool proof they seemed to be, always seem to be ruined by you. Too long you have been a pest to my Lord, too long have you set our plans back. After tonight, you shall not trouble our Lord anymore. My Lord wanted the pleasure of killing you himself, especially after he learns of what you have done tonight. However, bringing you to him is an unacceptable risk, so I am quite sure that he will, however, understand that I must do it for him. Goodbye, Harry Potter. _Avada Kedavra!_."

He was too tired, too weak. Resigned to his fate, time seemed to slow as the green bolt of energy bore down on him, bringing him his death. He closed his eyes, wanting his face to appear at peace when he died, not filled with terror like so many others before him. Just like in his dreams of Voldemorts first fall, he heard a great rushing sound and felt a terrible stab of pain just as the spell impacted right above his heart.

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	10. Return to the Most Noble House of Black

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

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Chapter 10:

Return to The Most Noble House of Black

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Harry wasn't sure what to expect. What would death feel like? Would he see his parents, or Sirius? The last thing he had expected to happen, though it really should have been the first, was nothing. The green energy impacted upon his chest, causing a slight stinging through the numbing charms. And then nothing happened, or more precisely nothing changed. He had survived again.

Harry looked down at the place above his heart where the Killing Curse his him, his robes smoldering a bit. He then moved his gaze to Lestrange. He could not help but let out a low, almost evil chuckle as he saw the surprise and shock plastered on her face. A phrase, almost unbidden, immediately ran through his head: _'One must die at the hand of the other'_. With a triumphant laugh he wandlessly summoned his dagger from his boot. He felt strong, powerful, as if the failed curse had given him energy. The sense of power seemed to originate at the impact point of the curse and spread throughout his body. Bellatrix had no time to react as Harry plunged the blade into the woman's chest. She let out a scream as he felt, rather than heard the enchanted blade slice through one of her ribs and come out her back. He twisted the blade before he wrenched it out of her, allowing her body to crumple to the ground. He stood up as he reversed his grip on the knife and prepared for the killing blow.

Before he could, however, he was forced to leap out of the way as another Death Eater tried to hit him with a stunner. Another Death Eater seeing his opening and no doubt interested in gaining the Dark Lord's favor by saving his favorite servant (and having a legitimate excuse to run away), did not waste the distraction and ran to Bellatrix. He grabbed a pendant that was around his neck and shoved it into her hand. The Death Eater murmured something and then both of them were whisked away by the portkey. Angry that his prey had gotten away, Harry flicked his wrist, sending the dagger, guided propelled by his magic, into the throat of the man that had tried to curse him.

Harry held out his hands as his wand and sword flew to him. Harry raised both of his weapons in a dueling stance, prepared to continue the fight with the rest of the Death Eaters. His opponents raised their wands, a sign that they were either really stupid or amazingly brave. Grinning, Harry sent out his magic with a small scrying spell, looking for something in particular. When he found it, he latched onto its primitive mind and called it to him. He turned back to the Death Eaters.

"You really think you can stop me?" Harry said calmly, though there was an undercurrent of arrogance to it as well. "I'm bloody well invincible!" They seemed to waver, but held firm. 'Perhaps old Voldemort has threatened them if they failed,' he thought with amusement. 'Would explain their hesitation to leave.' He then spoke out loud. "Very well, I suppose I will have to take care of you then." He stated in a very bored tone, however, he was starting to feel the rush of energy that had filled him only minutes before start to dissipate. Quite unexpectedly, he lowered his weapons as he sent out the command through his magic. "Well, someone will take care of you. Right now, I'm not the one you should be worried about." The Death Eaters looked around wearily when movement from the direction of #4 caught their eyes. With an ethereal scream, Harry's demon construct leaped out of the darkness, barreling into the circle of Death Eaters. Using the distraction, Harry blended into the shadows.

The Death Eaters, meanwhile, all seemed to come to the same conclusion. Potter had somehow escaped and now this terrible monstrosity was tearing their compatriots apart. This was in addition to the destruction The-Boy-Who-Lived had already let loose upon Voldemort's forces. Tack on the fact that he had survived the killing curse, again, and there was not much fight left in them. They quickly grabbed pendants around their own necks and port-keyed out. As soon as they had left, Harry stepped out of the shadows and limped over to his demon. Without any further commands, the creature had remained absolutely still.

It was the first chance Harry had to see his creature that night and he definitely understood why the Death Eaters had fled. While it looked impressive in his tent, that was nothing compared to how it looked now. It's carapace glistened in the rain, as the dozens of fires reflected off its black eyes and wet body. He ran his hand over the creature's hard shell. 'Most definitely one of my best ideas yet.' He thought fondly. He turned away from his creation.

Holding out his wand, he summoned his dagger, securing it back into his boot. He stumbled suddenly as he felt a wave of fatigue crash over him. Without imminent danger, his adrenaline was no longer flowing and he felt a great desire to lay down and sleep.

The lack of energy also hit his mind, taking down all but the most basic of Occlumency shields, including the ones he had set up to help block out physical pain. The pain he had been blocking throughout the evening finally caught up to him, forcing him to his knees. He leaned back against the hard leg of his creation, and grimacing through the pain that shot up his legs, he began to take in his surroundings. The wind had calmed down a bit, but not by much. The rain continued to fall heavily and smoke hung thickly in the night air as many of the homes on Privet Drive were still engulfed in magical fire that seemed unaffected by the heavy downpour. Even with the poor visibility, Harry could see the streets littered with the bodies of both muggles and Death Eaters. He dared not look directly at #4, for he knew the gruesome scene he would see there. He felt a sharp pain as he tried to stand up. He looked down at himself and for the first time since the battle begun, tried to take full stock of his condition.

To say he was not happy with what he saw would be a gross understatement. His robes were practically shredded and caked in mud and blood, some his own, some from the Death Eaters. His chest hurt when he breathed and he had a long, deep gash running down the length of his forearm. The rest of him was covered in a multitude of cuts and scrapes varying in seriousness. His robes were burnt where the killing curse had hit and he felt a stinging pain where it had impacted with his flesh. He just skipped over his legs, already knowing what horrendous condition they were in. The one bright spot was that his regenerative abilities had pretty much stopped the bleeding.

'At least I won't die of blood loss. Wait, right, can't die.' At the time, this thought brought little comfort since, seeing as how if he were dead, he wouldn't be in so much pain. He had finally managed to bring up some of mental shields, but they were flimsy at best. However, they complemented the numbing charms wonderfully and this brought his mind back to the task at hand.

He was unsure whether Voldemort would send even more people after him. He hoped the answer was no, for he was in no condition to defend himself. Riddle, hopefully, would want to think on his supposed invulnerability to the Killing Curse, not to mention the beating he had given his followers, but Harry didn't want to take that chance. He needed to leave Privet Drive, and soon.

Grabbing his creature for support, he pulled himself to his feet. Weakly lifting his wand, he summoned his trunk to him and shrunk it before placing it in his pocket. As much as he liked his tent, it was hardly necessary right now. He once again tried his portkey and once again was met with failure. 'Damn, whatever anti-portkey wards they made must have been pretty complex to only allow certain keys out' he thought as he flung the now useless portkey to the ground. He did not even dare to try to apparate, as splinching himself would most certainly happen and would not improve his situation. He was in no shape to fly so he couldn't use his broom. The only link he had to the wizarding world on Privet Drive was Ms. Figg, but he could see her home ablaze in the distance, so no floo travel. He knew that in all likelihood the batty old woman was dead, but he was mentally and emotionally too exhausted to feel anything at that moment. He had one other option that he could think of. Using his blade as a sort of walking stick and ignoring the aching in his arm and leg, he held out his wand.

And nothing happened.

"Must be some sort of non-detection warding around here. Well, that would explain why no-one showed up," Harry said thoughtfully to his demon, not that it actually understood anything. The limited cognitive abilities that he had been able to give it only allowed it to follow relatively simple instructions, so for all intensive purposes, he may as well have been talking to one of the burning cars that now littered Privet Drive. "They probably don't even know anything happened yet," he said, thinking about the ministry and the Order.

He took another look at the wasteland that was once Privet Drive. "Well, I suppose it's best that we get out of here." With that, he tried to walk. Pain lanced through his body and his head swam, forcing him to lean back against his creation. Walking was definitely out of the question. He looked around him, trying to see if there was something that could help him. He saw nothing but burnt cars and he was wet, cold, and in pain. Sighing in defeat, he banged his head against the demon. Of course, the most obvious solution was the last one he thought of.

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he sent a command to his demon construct. Wrapping one its serpentine tentacles around him, which cause Harry to hiss in pain, it lifted Harry onto its back. At Harry's command, the creature began slowly walking away, Harry sitting securely on its back, from what remained of Privet Drive.

R-o-t-G-L-

Severus Snape and the rest of the Death Eater survivors had just apparated back to the Riddle Manor, where the Dark Lord was waiting for them. The Hogwarts Potions Master cringed as the Dark Lord immediately singled him out.

"Severus, so good that you have returned intact." The Dark Lord then gestured to the broken form of Bellatrix that was lying on a conjured stretcher near by. "As you are most likely aware, Bellatrix has been gravely injured, no doubt due to the incompetence of the rest of my servants. I need you to start on some potions right away. I have already compiled a list of what must be done. Do not disappoint me Severus." He practically hissed as he thrust a piece of parchment in Severus' direction, which Severus quickly took with a bow, and was dismissed.

"Yes, my Lord," he replied as he bowed again. As he left the chamber, he let out a quiet sigh of relief that he was the potions master and did not have to suffer the punishments the Dark Lord would no doubt give the others who made it out of Privet Drive. The creature that was the Dark Lord really hated failure and would most likely be torturing his followers well into the night. Not that Severus could truly blame him.

They had set out with over thirty Death Eaters to Privet Drive. Only twelve returned while the rest were either killed or incapacitated in some form. Surprisingly, the muggles had managed to take a few of their numbers out, but it was Potter who did the most damage.

Snape didn't know what to think about the Potter boy, except now he knew why the Dark Lord spent so much time on him. Severus had been part of the group of Death Eaters who had ambushed Potter after he had left the remains of Privet Drive. He watched as Potter threw a knife into another Death Eater and he watched as that creature, that _thing _that looked as if it was born out of hell itself, had come barreling down upon them, tearing into their ranks. It was apparent to anyone that Potter was either a friend with the creature or actually controlled it. The idea that the boy could call upon such a creature to defend him was frightening enough. What scared him even more was Potters ruthlessness. Apparently the death of that dog of a godfather Sirius effected him more than the potions master thought possible. He had expected the spoiled little Gryffindor to be wallowing in self-pity, not slaying Death Eaters. Though, he supposed, all the signs pointed to Potter's new aggressiveness.

He, along with the rest of the Order, had heard Potters explosive temperament last summer. The boy harbored a deep-seated anger, and it was only now starting to come through. He also knew, from his service for the Dark Lord, about the boy's semi-successful attempt at a Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix. He had also seen images of the boy's past during his failed attempt to teach the brat occlumency. On hindsight, it obviously was only a matter of time before the boy became violently aggressive.

Sighing at the new complication that was The-Boy-Who-Lived, Snape unrolled the parchment the Dark Lord had given him and began gathering the ingredients to make Bellatrix's potions. No matter what happened, he would need to keep an eye on the boy.

**_-R-o-t-G-L-_**

Harry and his demon traveled for almost a half an hour, deliberately going slow so as to make the ride as smooth as possible for Harry. They had traveled until there was no more signs of Death Eater activity, which, Harry assumed, meant they were beyond the wards. By now, it was relatively late, which pretty much guaranteed that the muggles wouldn't see him, especially in this weather. The lateness of the day also meant that it was getting colder, a fact that, for once, Harry was grateful for, as it helped numb his body. He chuckled at the thought of him and his creature coming across a muggle right now. 'I'm sure that would make for a fun day for the Magic Reversal Squad.'

He had his demon stop so that he could look around. Perhaps he could summon the Knight Bus now. He ordered Ted (He had decided to name the thing, not that it had any personality. It was, after all, more of an automaton. But having a name had made it easier to talk to on his trip from Privet Drive) to stop and remove him from its back. He looked at the street signs and memorized the location. He gave his demon instructions to hide out in the area until he called upon it again. He figured he could come back later and de-transfigure it. As it was, if he couldn't summon the Knight Bus, he didn't have the energy to de-transfigure it and then re-create it. Leaning against a light post for support, Harry waited until Ted was gone from sight before he stuck his wand out into the street.

A loud bang broke the soothing patter of rain hitting pavement as a gaudy, purple, triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere and came to a stop right in front of him. Leaning his weight against his makeshift walking stick/sword, he ambled over to the entrance to the bus, trying his best to ignore the pain that shot up his legs with ever step he took. The door opened and he was greeted with the pimply-faced Stan.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, transportation for the strand...What the hell!" It was only then that Stan had at the man who had summoned the bus. Stan took in his shredded robes and damaged body before inevitably reaching his face and his damned scar.

"Mr. Potter sir, um.. eh, where to?"

Harry, not wanting to waste time explaining anything, shoved a few galleons into his hands, muttered Diagon Alley, and pushed past Stan and got on the bus. Still slightly in shock, Stan hurried to the front of the bus and told the driver to get them to Diagon Alley on the double. The other occupants just stared at Harry as he took the first available bed. He closed his eyes as he tried to rebuild build up his magical reserves.

'I am going to feel like shit tomorrow,' he thought as he reached into his pocket and grabbed the last bottle of pepper-up potion. He was becoming acutely aware of why Aurors needed to be proficient potion makers.

The ride passed somewhat peacefully, though as the bus sped recklessly through Britain, he could not help but wish he were back with Ted and traveling a bit slower. In the background, he heard various people muttering. 'That's Harry Potter' or 'Wow, do you think he dueled You-Know-Who?' Harry tried his best to ignore them, eventually deciding to silence them with a glare before going back to rebuilding his reserves. After two stops, he felt the bus lurch to a halt as Stan called out Diagon Alley.

"Mr. Potter, do you need any help?" It was Stan who had come up to him. He gave the conductor a weak grin before replying.

"No thank you, Stan. I can manage."

With that said, he limped off of the bus and into the Leaky Cauldron, a few others following slowly behind him. All noise seemed to stop when he walked through the doors. The bar tavern was relatively busy, especially compared to the last time he had visited. He ignored all the stares that followed him as he limped as gracefully as he could to the bar.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?"

Tom had stopped what he was doing and was looking very worriedly at Harry. 'Huh, I must look pretty bad. Of course I look bad, what the hell am I thinking? Perhaps I'm going insane? Stupid Cruciatus probably did it.'

He turned to Tom and spoke very quietly. "Do you have a private floo connection I can use? And something to eat before I go."

"Yes sir, right this way. Oh, and it's on the house," Tom replied.

Harry was very grateful Tom wasn't going to insist on payment, as he had just given Stan the few coins he had in his pocket at the time. Harry followed Tom into a side room and nodded his thanks to the barkeep. He sat down and waited for Tom to bring in food. Harry had no intention of using the floo network, he only hoped that if any of Voldemort's spies were there tonight, he would have mislead them. Once the food arrived, he began to eat very gingerly. Everything hurt. It hurt to chew, it hurt to swallow, it even hurt to move his arm and fingers. But he ate on, though he only managed to complete about half of the meal. Concentrating, he forced his body to turn the food he had just eaten into magical energy. He didn't bother letting it digest, as his magic just sapped what it needed straight from the food.

Feeling the slight increase in his energy, Harry tapped the fork with his wand. _'Portus._' Wand still in hand, he stood up, grabbed the fork and counted down from three. He felt a pull behind his navel and found himself on his way to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. As soon as the spinning stopped, he dug his sword-now-walking stick into the ground, keeping himself upright. Concentrating on the buildings location, #12 popped into existence right in front of him. He limped up the steps and threw open the door. Already greatly fatigued, he entered the house and almost fell over in surprise.

The place had been cleaned since he had last been there. Gone were the troll foot umbrella stand, the threadbare carpeting, and the portrait of Sirius's mother. Instead, the walls were now clean and free of cobwebs, along with the chandeliers. The serpent door handles were still there, but they had been polished up. The old gas lamps remained as well, casting shadows and generally doing a poor job of properly lighting the place. What shocked him most was the floor, which was now covered, in a solid, plush pink carpet. He could only stare while muttered to himself "What the hell happened to this place?"

He glanced at the stairs and down at his legs and let out a small groan. While he wanted nothing more than to just climb into a bed and go to sleep, the thought of climbing the stairs made him cringe. Deciding that he would have to make do with a couch, he hobbled down the hallway that once held Mrs. Black's portrait and into the siting room, unaware of the blood red boot-prints he was leaving on the ridiculous pink carpet. He threw open the door and looked around. Like the entryway, the room had been completely cleaned. The carpet, however, was the still pink and the lighting was much better. His observations were cut short when a figure he had failed to notice earlier sitting on one of the couches jumped up and screamed his name.

"Harry!"

Harry had barely registered that he was not alone in the room when his vision was obscured by something brown and bushy. He cried out in pain as his best friend Hermione Granger squeezed him in a bone-crushing hug, or would have been a bone-crushing hug had his bones had not already been crushed.

R-o-t-G-L-

Remus and Dumbledore had left for a meeting after Hermione had finished telling her family about her time in the wizarding world and the story behind Voldemort. Since then, Hermione had been answering questions about her life when the door to the sitting room had been thrown open, banging loudly against the wall. She twirled around and immediately recognized the form in the doorway as Harry. She had been so excited to see his face and his body still in the shadows of the hallway that she had not mentally registered his broken condition until she had thrown her arms around him and he had cried out in obvious pain.

"Oh my god, Harry! You're hurt! Come on and lay down. Dad, go get the Headmaster! Mom, help me with Harry!" The rest of Hermione's family, not knowing what to do, moved off into a corner to watch and remain out of the way letting John and Anne deal with the situation. John and Anne were, after all, the medical professionals of the family and were more aware about the magical world then the rest of them.

Again, Harry's lack of perception (not that he felt it was really his fault at the moment) slapped him in the face as he had failed to realize the others in the room. He felt Hermione and who he assumed was Mrs. Granger help him to one of the couches. Once he was laying down, he felt someone take the sword from his hands as the other pair of hands pulled open his robes. Knowing that he was now safe and now currently resting on cushions, he allowed himself to relax and fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Hermione had taken the bloody sword from her best friend's hands and leaned it against the fireplace while her mother started to remove his robes. When she returned to Harry's side she let out a small gasp. His body was marred with various spell wounds, and there were odd shaped welts all around his torso that reminded Hermione of runes. Her attention, however, was drawn to an oozing, odd shaped wound that seemed to spider-web away from a point of impact right above his heart, as if whatever had hit him had shattered part of his flesh. Her gazed traveled upwards. Around his neck she saw some things that she knew he most definitely should not legally have; a Cloaking amulet (she had read about them and knew what they looked like) and a time turner. Both were covered in blood, but the time turner had broken sometime during the fighting, leaving the glass shattered, devoid of its magical sand and leaving small shards of glass sticking into the flesh of Harry's neck. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the kitchen so she quickly removed the items from around Harry's neck and discretely stuffed them into the pockets of her pants. Her mother looked at her questioningly. Hermione just shook her head and her mother understood not to bring it up in front of the others. The door burst open as a group of people led by Albus Dumbledore, including Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Amelia Bones, and Minerva McGonagall came running into the room.

R-o-t-G-L-

The meeting had been going on for a good hour. Remus looked around at the other Order Members who were in attendance. Though the meeting was rather unexpected, most members were there. The only notable exception was the lack of the Weasley clan and Severus Snape. After the almost simultaneous Death Eater raids on the Grangers, the Longbottoms, and the Lovegoods, Dumbledore had called an emergency Order meeting. Tonks was here as well as Kingsley, who had just come back from doing clean up at the locations of the raids. Madame Bones, who had been invited to join the Order soon after the Ministry had publicly announced Voldemort's return, had been able to excuse herself from her duties at the Ministry for the meeting. Voldemort had summoned Severus Snape much earlier in the day so he was not available to shed any light on the Death Eater's activities. Minerva McGonagall was there, along with much of the Advanced Guard that had picked Harry up last year and quite a few of the professors. Remus turned his attention back to what Dumbledore was saying.

"It seems that these were supposed to be diversionary tactics, but to our knowledge, there have not been anymore attacks since these raids. Madame Bones, has your office come up with anything?"

"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore. The Death Eater raids were small, with the teams only consisting of, at most, five people. Once reinforcements showed up, they stayed just long enough to give us trouble, but when it looked like they would be defeated, they apparated out. They have been doing these types of raids all day, though there seems to be no purpose, besides just trying to cause trouble. However, we have increased security at the Ministry and Azkaban in case they are trying to keep us diverted from a larger target." A sudden buzzing filled the room and everyone's head turned to Dumbledore.

"It is just indicating that someone is trying to get into the room. It's nothing to worry about. Alastor?" Moody's eye swung to the door before responding.

"Its John Granger, Albus. He looks a little panicked; perhaps you should let him in." Dumbledore merely nodded his head, and with a wave of his wand the door opened and a frantic looking John Granger came stumbling into the room.

"Mr. Dumbledore sir, we need you immediately. One of Hermione's friends is hurt pretty badly." Everyone in the room stood up and followed Albus as he walked swiftly from the room. The aging headmasters pace sped up as he came across the bloody boot prints on the carpet leading to the sitting room. Albus stopped dead in his tracks at the sight he saw when he entered the drawing room. All the order members seemed to be unsure of what to do as Remus summed up all their thought with one phrase.

"Shit."

This seemed to shake Dumbledore from his shock and he quickly began issuing command to the other Order members.

"Minerva, I need you to go get Madame Pomfrey. I know she won't be happy to have her vacation interrupted, but I am sure that she will understand once she is aware of the situation. Remus, Mr. Granger, I want you to go prepare Sirius' old bedroom for Harry. Amelia, Tonks, Alastor, Kingsley, I want you to go to Privet Drive and figure out what happened. Find Fletcher, he was supposed to be on guard duty tonight. He might have left again for another 'business opportunity'. The rest of you, make sure the house is secure." With commands given, everyone sprang into action. He stood there watching the young woman and her mother clean the boy's, no, he corrected himself, man's wounds. The aged headmaster let his eyes wander the room and his gaze settled onto the blood-encrusted sword leaning against the fireplace. His stare then moved to the filthy, mutilated remains of Harry's dueling robes, and finally back to the robes owner. He moved closer and started to inspect the wounds, doing the minor healing spells he knew when he could, but much of the damage was extensive and needed an expert's touch. It did surprise him that there were very few minor wounds, leaving primarily the major injuries. What concerned him most, however, was the wound just above the young man's heart. It was the oddly shaped wound, and looked as if something had hit him and shattered his skin. The shape of the 'shatter' marks looked eerily familiar, just like the one on his forehead. It certainly didn't take a genius to connect the two and the old man let out a gasp of surprise.

Hermione, who for the past ten minutes had been trying to hold back the tears she felt building up at seeing her dearest friend's mutilated body while she tried to clean his wounds, looked up when she heard the Headmaster.

"H-h-headmaster? What is it?" Her voice came out as barely a whisper, but it was heard clearly in the quiet room.

"Ms. Granger, look at that wound on Harry's chest. What do those wounds remind you of?"

"They are almost like lightning bolts, just like the... oh my" the young woman paled as she realized what the headmaster was getting at. "H-how? How did he survive?"

"I have a theory or two, but that can wait for now." Just then Remus burst into the room.

"The room is ready Albus. How do you plan on getting him up there?" Remus seemed to be in panic mode and his eyes were slightly glossy from unshed tears. Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and proceeded to float Harry in front of him up to Sirius's room, followed by Remus, Hermione, and her mother. As they were moving Harry onto the bed, McGonagall came running into the room followed by Madame Pomfrey.

"Out of the way! Out of the way! Let me get to my patient! Everyone out! That includes you Ms. Granger." She said the last part to Hermione who was sitting on the bed next to Harry holding desperately to his hand with quiet tears running down his face.

Madame Pomfrey addressing John Granger stopped the rest of them as they were leaving. "Mr. Granger, you are a muggle healer, correct?"

"That is correct, ma'm." He decided it was probably best not to quibble over the details of dentistry.

"Good, I want you to stay. I may need your help. Some dark spell wounds can't be healed by magic." He just nodded and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. She then turned to Remus. "Mr. Lupin, I'm going to need you to stay as well. I need an extra wand who knows something about the dark arts." Remus nodded in acceptance. "Now, the rest of you, out!"

Anne Granger lead her daughter out of the room and waited a moment for Dumbledore, who, followed by McGonagall, lead the three women to the kitchen where they had been having a meeting just minutes before. After everyone had been seated, Albus sealed the door and began to speak.

"Right now, I know that you are a bit stressed and perhaps wanting answers," he said, looking at Hermione. "I will tell you what I can, but some of this tale is up to Harry."

Albus looked at Anne Granger. "Mrs. Granger, I would like you to stay, if only for your daughter. Normally I would not allow non-order members to hear this, especially if that person is a muggle. However, at the moment I am of the mind that your daughter will want someone to talk this over with. Should you stay for the duration of this conversation, I will have to ask you to remain here at Headquarters until suitable security precautions are set up so as to guarantee you do not fall into Voldemorts hands." Anne seemed a bit scared at the notion of her and her family being put into even more danger, but her daughter needed her right now, so she merely nodded her head in understanding.

"Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. As you are aware Ms. Granger, there was a prophecy made concerning Harry and Voldemort." Hermione just nodded slightly while she leaned against her mother for support.

"As you are also undoubtedly aware, the recording of this prophecy was destroyed in August. However, sixteen years ago, a spy of Voldemorts heard the beginning of the prophecy as it was told to someone. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, he did not hear the entire contents, which is why he orchestrated the plan to retrieve it. The part he does know, however, had led him to believe that Harry was a threat to his power and that is why he tried to kill him those fifteen years ago. You know the story from there. Where I need to catch you up too is right after I sent Harry to my office after the conflict at the Department of Mysteries. Minerva," he moved his head and looked at the concerned Transfiguration Professor, "would you be so kind as to retrieve my Pensieve for me?"

She merely nodded before disappearing into the fireplace in a flash of green flame.

Turning back to the two Granger women, he continued his story.

"To say Harry was distraught and angry before he arrived at Hogwarts would be an understatement. I believe he actually tried to use an unforgivable against Bellatrix Lestrange, though I have yet to speak to Harry on this matter. I thought it best to let Harry sort through his emotions on this incident" Hermione gasped at this "He also did a most excellent job wrecking my office. However," he said as he waved away whatever comment Hermione was about to make, "that is not important, what is important is what I told him. I informed him the entire contents of the prophecy."

"He knows what it says? You know what it says? How? I mean, I had my suspicions, but I couldn't prove it." Hermione said it all in one breath. As Hermione paused to take a breath, Albus grabbed his opportunity

"Simple, really. I was the one who heard it." The fireplace burst into green flames as McGonagall came out carrying the round stone basin that is Dumbledore's Pensieve.

After the Transfiguration Professor set the stone basin on the table on front of him, Albus put his want to his temple and seemed to extract a string of silver from it and he dumped it into the pensieve.

"Now Ms. Granger, Mrs. Granger, Minerva, what I am about to show you is what you might call 'Top Secret.' Normally I would ask for Harry's permission to tell you, as it really is his secret to share, but I feel with the current situation you need to understand how and why the events of the past fifteen years, and tonight, came about. I will show you only the most relevant part for tonight, that which confirms Harry as the recipient of the prophecy and why the prophecy has importance. I know he was most hesitant to share this information with anyone, even the people he trusts the most." He shot a look at Hermione. "Now, you do understand that you can not, under any circumstance, tell anyone what I am about to show you?" The other four heads nodded in understanding.

"Very well then, I am going to hold you to your word." With that, he tapped the pensieve with his wand and the image of Sibyll Trelawny floated out of it just like it had when the prophecy had been told to Harry. The three women and the werewolf sat at rapt attention as one of the light side's greatest secrets was presented to them. After Albus ended the memory, just before it mention the part about how _one must die at the hand of the other_, there a contemplative silence that filled the space for a few minutes until Hermione spoke up.

"O-okay," she said in a slightly shaky voice, "that would explain why Voldemort is after Harry, but how can Harry have survived another killing curse?"

"I have many theories Ms. Granger, though no definite answers. It may have to do with the prophecy, it may have to do with having survived once already."

"I take it then that the rest of the Prophecy has something to do with how Harry is supposed to destroy V-Voldemort?" McGonagall still had trouble saying his name.

"We, that is Harry and I, are not sure. When I spoke to him earlier this summer, we both came up with some ideas on what the last bit implies, but nothing that we were willing to test. It would appear, however, that one of Mr. Potter's theories may have panned out. However, asking him for a repeat performance may be an unwise suggestion." Hermione, after contemplating this new development in her friends life, felt a sort of anger well up in her at the Headmaster.

"Why did you not tell Harry earlier? He could have been using the past few years to prepare for this fight! As it is, he is lying upstairs, beaten and bloody! It's only by some unknown luck that he is not dead!" Hermione snapped at the headmaster.

"Hermione!" her mother interrupted the growing lecture, "Calm down and let the Headmaster speak!" A look of horror crossed the girl's face as she realized she had not just yelled at the most powerful wizard in the world. Looking extremely sheepish, Hermione sat back in her chair and found her shoes terribly interesting.

"A valid question, Ms. Granger," Albus said kindly, trying to show the girl that he did not take offence. "I did not tell Harry the prophecy before his fifth year because it was not necessary. Voldemort was bodiless and not a threat yet. It was my hope that we would be able to continue with delay tactics, such as the business with the Philosopher's Stone, until Mr. Potter was older and more ready to accept the burden. Obviously, that is impossible now. I did not inform Mr. Potter after Voldemorts rebirth because of the failings of age. You see, I have become somewhat fond of Mr. Potter, and I could not bring myself to tell him of the burden he would have to carry. I suppose I should have been more professional, more impersonal so as to properly prepare him for the inevitable fight." Dumbledores shoulder seemed to sag a bit the more he talked and the normal twinkle found in his eyes seemed to dim. There was another silence, but more oppressive this time. After a few moments, he regained his composure and continued. "As for your second question, the fact that Harry made it here to Headquarters at all has very little to do with fate." Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as a light knocking was heard coming from the door.

"Enter."

A soaked, pale looking Tonks hesitantly stepped into the kitchen and looked at the five serious faces that looked at her with an almost expectant look.

"What have you learned of the attack on Privet Drive Ms. Tonks?"

"Attack? It was a slaughter sir. There is not much left of Privet Drive. Most of the homes have been burned down, along with the muggles in them..." Tonks trailed off and shuddered at the memory of it.

The aged headmaster seemed to think for a moment before he asked a question that he really did not want an answer for. "How many dead?"

"Were not sure just yet. Like I states, there are a lot of muggles. The last count I heard before Kingsley sent me here to report in was at least 98 muggles, 12 Death Eaters, and Fletcher"

"I see." Hermione didn't think she had ever seen the Headmaster look so grave. "What were the causes of death? I can pretty much guess about the muggles, though."

"Sir, um, are you sure we should be discussing this in front of students?" seeing the look of defiance on Hermione's face, she quickly added, "and I am not talking about secrecy. Except for the muggles, none of the deaths were very clean."

"Very well. Ms. and Mrs. Granger, I can only assume from Tonk's hesitation that the rest of this briefing is not going to be pretty. You are, of course, free to leave."

Mrs. Granger looked at her daughter who had moved her defiant gaze from Tonks to the Headmaster. "It looks like we will be staying, Mr. Dumbledore."

"Very well then. Ms. Tonks, please continue."

"Well, we had to approach the area on foot. There are some pretty heavy wards set up, which might explain why we didn't have any knowledge of the attack. We first came upon Crabbe Sr. Apparently, from what one of the aurors who is muggle born figured, he was shot in the head with a muggle weapon called shoot-gun or something. We found the muggle wielding the weapon about 10 meters away. Killing curse. Then there was this guy we identified as Murdock Brentwood. He was run down by a car. Apparently that muggle also injured quite a few others but they managed to get away." Tonks looked like she wanted to stop at that point, but Dumbledore would not hear of it.

"Please, Ms. Tonks, continue."

"Well, sir, the rest of the dead Death Eaters died by magical causes, or at least magic was an influence in their deaths. We know from field interrogations of some of the remaining Death Eaters that Fletcher was taken out before he could do anything. The only non-Death Eater wizard present at the time was Harry, so we can assume he is responsible for the rest of the casualties." Albus merely nodded, as this was no surprise to him. "The first body we found was that of Nicholas Carter and a few we haven't been able to identify yet. It looks like an enchanted blade, perhaps a knife of some sorts, impaled itself into Carter's neck. There were three others in the immediate area. They seemed to have been torn apart by something. We aren't sure what though."

"How do you know it was enchanted?" Hermione could not help satisfy her curiosity, even under these dark circumstances.

"The wound was unnaturally clean, and it went through the spine completely, both indicating that the blade had sharpness enchantments and was most likely magically propelled."

"Oh," Hermione said, slightly surprised that they could deduce that sort of thing.

"Please Ms. Tonks, continue." Dumbledore seemed anxious to get the briefing over with.

"Yes sir. In the backyard of the Dursley's, we found two more mutilated corpses. Moody believes it was done by the same thing that killed the other three in the front."

"I see. I have an idea what caused those deaths, but I must consult with Harry before I say anything more. Were there any more casualties of note in the Death Eater's ranks?"

"Well, sir, once we entered #4, that's where we found the real carnage. Mundungus was stuck to the exterior wall above the front door. Sticking charm. It looks like they used him as target practice for cutting hexes. He bled to death." Gasps were heard from the others who were present for the briefing. "On the first floor, we found Macnair. He was beheaded. Apparently Harry has a sword."

"Yes, I saw it in the sitting room." Dumbledore dared not tell them he had encouraged Harry to learn these skills. Fear of the wrath that would be brought down upon him by both Hermione and Minerva made him hold his tongue. Instead, he continued with the phrase that he seemed to be repeating quite often tonight. "Continue, Nymphadora."

"Yes sir. You should know that the house is a mess. It appears there was a large explosion on the inside. We'll need to ask Harry what happened. We came upon the Dursleys, or rather what was left of them. We interrogated one of the Death Eaters who we found unconscious and it seemed that they put Vernon Dursley under the Imperious and had him kill Petunia and his sister Marge. Vernon Dursley, while under the Imperious, used a butcher knife to dismember Petunia Dursley. They made Vernon gut his sister Marge like a fish. They had some fun with Vernon Dursley and eventually killed him. Apparently that just before Harry showed up after dealing with Malfoy".

"What do you mean by 'dealing with Malfoy'?" McGonagall said, a bit perplexed.

"Well, sir, there are no witnesses, but the best we can figure out is that Harry hit him with a strong Reductor curse at point-blank range, at least that is our theory right now. Blew a big whole in his chest." Tonks seemed to hesitate before continuing. "Dumbledore sir, we also found Draco Malfoy."

"What! He is not dead, is he?" While he seemed to accept that Harry had slain Death Eaters, Dumbledore looked like he was almost scared at the thought of Harry killing another student.

"No sir. It seems as if his father brought him along under an invisibility cloak so he could see, and I quote, 'Voldemort's greatest victory.' He headed into #4 after the Death Eaters retreated and found Lucius. We are keeping him at the Ministry for now. He technically has not committed a crime so we are just holding him until Narcissa Malfoy picks him up. To continue on, besides the Dursley's there were a two more dead Death Eaters. We are still trying to identify them, but from what we have learned, it was all Harry."

"Very well. Thank you Nymphadora. Why don't you head back and see if you can help with the cleanup." As Dumbledore was about to turn back to the rest of the people in the room, he seemed to remember something. "Tonks, do you happen to know which wards were set up or how they pierced our wards?"

"Moody did some ward detection spells and it seems like the Death Eaters really had this planned out. There are anti-apparation wards, non-detection wards, and some complex anti-portkey wards set up to cover the whole block. There are also some strong anti-muggle wards as well. Moody wants to wait to remove the wards until a full investigation is complete as well as clean-up. Figures that will make it easier to hide it from the muggles."

"Thank you Nymphadora. You can go now."

"One more thing sir." She waited for him to nod his head before she continued. "We found Dudley Dursley. Apparently he was with some friends at a movie during the attack. What is to be done with him?" The old man sighed. Another orphan.

"I don't know." This seemed to be the greatest shock of the nigh. Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the world, was at a loss of what to do. "Perhaps," he paused, "perhaps it would be best to bring him here, where we can keep him safe. Though I suggest keeping him away from Harry until he recovers. I will have to think on other solutions as well." Tonks nodded and left the kitchen, not even registering that Dumbledore had called her Nymphadora more than once in the past few minutes.

"Head-Headmaster?"

"Yes Ms. Granger?"

"If Harry had not made it back here, when would we have known of this attack?"

"Mudungus's shift was not supposed to end until 6 A.M. tomorrow morning." Hermione just nodded in response.

"Sir, what can I do to help him? If I know Harry, he won't be happy with himself when he wakes. You know he will feel quilty about the deaths, not only the muggles but the ones he caused."

"Just make sure that he knows that people still love and care about him and keep him from distancing himself from everyone. I fear it may be difficult on all of us when dealing with Harry, but we must stay strong. However, from the discussions I have had with Harry over the summer, it is my belief that he has matured greatly and may be more understanding and accepting of his actions and the inevitability of death in this conflict. I do believe that, in the end, Harry will be alright."

"Albus," Minerva spoke up again, "how was Mr. Potter able to take out so many Death Eaters, or even remain conscious enough to make it back here? I know he is talented in dueling and Defense Against the Dark Arts, but to get through a battle like that only a month after the incident at the Ministry? He was outnumbered and didn't have any back up." Albus sighed, weighing the options on how he should answer. Seeing as how there were only three of them, he decided that an abridged version of the truth would be best.

"Mr. Potter came to me a few weeks ago asking for my help in training over the summer. He told me that he wanted to be able to defend his friends and was committed to seeing his part of the prophecy through. Alas, I was not able to train him until the school year started, though I gave him some suggestions on reading material he might find useful, I must say, the results of his self-education turned out far better than I had thought possible. Mr. Potter is a very resourceful and devious man when he puts his mind into it."

"So you're the one who gave it to him." It was a statement, not a question. Hermione was looking the headmaster straight in the eyes as she fingered the pendant in her pocket, her face a mixture of sadness and perhaps a little anger, anger at what she perceived as irresponsible behavior on the headmaster's part. Where she to think on it more, she would have concluded that it probably saved Harry's life, but now was not the time for completely rational thought.

"I can assure you Ms. Granger, I gave Harry nothing but advice, and perhaps a little encouragement."

"That's a bit of an academic distinction, considering the type of advice and encouragement you probably gave him. You do realize what kind of trouble he might have gotten into if he was caught!"

"What is she talking about Albus?" McGonagall was now looking at Albus questioningly.

"Well, it is getting late and we need our rest. Ms. Granger, I request that you not visit Mr. Potter until Madame Pomfrey has approved." Hermione just nodded her head dejectedly, her anger gone as quickly as it had come, and Minerva just stared at Albus as he abruptly changed the subject and stood up adjusting his robes. "Excellent. Now, if you will excuse me, I must head off to the ministry to make sure Mr. Potter suffers no legal troubles and try to clean up this mess. Goodnight all, and do try to get some sleep." With that, he moved to the fireplace and flooed to the ministry.

As soon as Albus had left, Minerva McGonagall got up and headed over to the stove.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I doubt I will get any sleep tonight. Would any of you care for tea?" The other three occupants in the room voiced their agreement, and soon they were all sitting around the table, sipping tea and discussing their damaged savior.

* * *


	11. Recovery or A Series of Conversations

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

* * *

Chapter 11:

Recovery

_Or_

A Series of Conversations

* * *

Draco Malfoy was, to put it bluntly, in a state of shock. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the events of the evening. He wanted to figure out how he had gone from polishing his Nimbus broom and generally lounging around back at the Malfoy Manor to being locked in an Auror's office, answering questions about his father's activities and the events of the night. In the end, it all came back to Potter, and the attack on his home. Draco told the Auror questioning him everything he knew about the attack, as it would get him nowhere except Azkaban to withhold information. After he had been questioned, his mother escorted him back to the Manor, where he had found himself staring at the ceiling, going over the events of the night.

He had known quite a few of the Death Eaters that had entered Potter's house, either personally or just in passing. He had sat there, listening to the yells and curses being fired within the small home. It had bothered him that he could not hear his father's distinguishable voice among the shouting. He had known Potter would put up a fight, but assumed that he would die or get captured in the end. It was to his utter surprise that the entire bloody house seemed to explode, raining debris down on him, only to look up and see Potter stumble out from the devastation.

He had watched his school rival in amazement and, if he were honest with himself, also a little fear, as Potter not only laughed off the Killing Curse but then plunged his knife into Bellatrix Lestrange. Draco watched as his rival struggled to stand and, in the end, rode away on some demonic monstrosity. The thought of capturing The-Boy-Who-Lived had briefly flickered through his mind, but the idea of going up against both Potter, though he was gravely injured, and that monstrosity quickly dissuaded him of that idea. When he saw Potter's form fade into the black, wet night, he rushed into #4 Privet Drive to find his father. The trek was treacherous, as the house groaned and creaked in protest to his weight. On his way up he had to flatten himself against the wall to get past the rubble that had fallen into the hallway. When Draco came to the top of the stairs, he collapsed to his knees. Lying there, cold and lifeless, was his father, Lucius Malfoy, with a massive, gaping whole in his chest. He crawled over to his father's corpse and cradled his father's head in his arms.

As he held the lifeless body, he felt overwhelmed by sadness. As he thought about it again all these hours later, the same sadness tried to overtake him again. He had never heard the Aurors approach him until one of them placed their hand on his shoulder and led him away.

No, his father was not a nice man, but he was a respectable man, someone Draco could look up to. And now he was gone, killed by a filthy half-blood! It wasn't right! His father deserved to live! It was his right by blood. The more the pale haired boy had thought, the more his sadness gave way to anger and rage. Rage at a green-eyed teen with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. He laid there, seething against his school rival, until his anger had drained away his energy and he fell into a fitful sleep.

R-o-t-G-L-

"You gave him what?" Hermione practically yelled at Remus, who had joined the three females a few minutes after Dumbledore had left. The grey-haired man was now looking thoroughly regretful for even speaking. Hermione seemed to have a knack for yelling at people tonight, as apparently the stress of the day's events was really getting to her. 'Dear god," Remus thought. 'Harry is going to kill me, if Hermione doesn't kill him first.' McGonagall was just giving the old werewolf a disapproving glare while Anne Granger was watching the argument looking slightly confused.

The conversation had been innocent enough, with Hermione asking Remus about what he knew of Harry's summer training and he, foolishly, had innocently mentioned some of the ingredients he had acquired for Harry or what Harry had requested that he couldn't get. Apparently, Hermione didn't think too highly of him getting Harry rare ingredients that were only used in dark magic.

"Now calm down Hermione, they were just some innocent potions ingredients. What is the harm in that?" Remus dearly hoped Hermione didn't know too much about Dark Rituals and their requirements.

"What is the harm?" The bushy-haired girl was practically screaming at him now. "The harm is that he has enough people trying to destroy him without you assisting him in dangerous rituals!"" Remus winced at the last statement. Apparently the girl was very well versed in the primary uses of most potion ingredients. Looking at his old transfiguration professor, he figured the old woman was too. Sighing, he tried to defend himself.

"I didn't so much as assist him, but helped him gather supplies for what he said was an experiment. How was I to know that his so-called 'experiments' were actually rituals? Besides, he said Albus had given him permission."

"Well then I will take it up with him as well! It was absolutely irresponsible of both you and him to allow Harry to perform any form of rituals!" Hermione seemed absolutely beside herself in rage. "Let's not forget the other consequences. What if this got out to the public? Or worse, what if he failed? I have read only the basics, but I know that the consequences of a failed ritual are always terrible!"

Anne watched Hermione in understanding. Her daughter wasn't truly angry. Well, she was, but it was because she cared about Harry, probably more than the girl even realized, and was afraid of what could have happened to him. Hermione had mentioned magical rituals briefly and the risks they entailed when she was briefing the rest of her family on the magical world and Voldemort, so Anne had a pretty good idea of what could have happened to Harry Potter. And she thought that her daughter was most likely justified in her anger. Watching he girl, she almost felt sorry for the lecture Harry was in for when he woke up.

"Really, Remus," McGonagall spoke up, "even if you weren't aware of what he was using those ingredients for, you should not have gotten them for him. I would assume that you had to go through Fletcher to get them?" Remus looked a bit sheepish, which basically confirmed the woman's accusations. It looked as if Remus was going to get another dose of Hermione's anger when the door to the kitchen opened to allow Madame Pomfrey in.

All the heads in the room turned to the Hogwarts nurse expectantly.

"Tea, Poppy?" McGonagall asked kindly.

"Yes Minerva, thank you." She said as a fresh cup of tea was pushed in her direction. The others allowed her a few minutes to relax before jumping into questions.

"How is he Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione asked.

"Well Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter will be fine, in a few days anyway." The school healer took another sip of tea before continuing. "I had to remove most of his leg bones and some ribs and gave him Skele-grow. I'm going to keep him under for at least a day, since rib bones are particularly painful to re-grow. Otherwise, he had some severe lacerations, but nothing life threatening. He may have some scarring, especially on his arm, but that was taken care of quickly." The woman seemed to frown for a moment. "His wounds are healing at a much faster rate than is natural, even with healing magic. In my opinion, he should have bled to death a while ago, but he is alive and his blood levels are at a safe level. He also slightly overdosed on pepper-up potions, so he will be a bit weak for a few days as it gets flushed out of his system. I expect him to be awake in two or three days at the latest, and I want him to stay in bed for the rest of the week."

"I don't think he is going to like that ma'am." Hermione, who had calmed down significantly once she was assured her friend would be okay, spoke up. "You know how Harry hates to stay in the hospital wing longer than _he_ thinks necessary."

"Don't you worry. Ms. Granger," The healer replied, "when I was a healer apprentice, I also picked up a few good immobilizing spells for the more, er, _difficult_ patients." Hermione just nodded.

"Can I go up and see him?" The girl asked. Madame Pomfrey seemed to consider this request for a moment before responding.

"You may, Ms. Granger, though don't expect him to be awake, and don't try to wake him either. Even if he wasn't in a magically induced sleep, his body is suffering from exhaustion."

Hermione tipped her head in understanding and rose to get up, with her mom and Remus following suit.

"Professor McGonagall, will you be coming up?"

"Not right now Ms. Granger, but I will pay Mr. Potter a visit tomorrow. I want to discuss some things with Madame Pomfrey here." Hermione just nodded in understanding and led the other two adults out of the kitchen and up to Harry's room.

Harry's room, unlike the rest of the house, had actually been repainted. The walls were a deep red with gold trim. The carpet, unfortunately, was still that hideous pink.

Even though Hermione had seen Harry when he first arrived, she couldn't hold back a small sob as she entered the room. Harry had been cleaned up, but his many lacerations that had already scabbed over (due to Harry's enhanced healing) stood out as bright red lines on his far too pale flesh while other injuries, such as his arm, were wrapped in sterile gauze. Also prevalent were the red welts that Hermione had noticed earlier on his chest, though by now they were clearly starting to fade. Separating herself from the two adults, Hermione slowly approached the bed to get a better look at her friend.

She grabbed a chair that was near the desk in the room and sat down next to the bed. Hermione's father joined Remus and Anne Granger in the doorway as he had just come back from cleaning himself up. They watched in silence as Hermione gently grabbed Harry's hand and merely held, as if to physically re-affirm to herself that Harry was still there. The three adults were about to leave the two of them alone when the silence was broken by a tapping at the window.

All the heads turned to the window as Remus rushed over to let whatever owl it that was tapping in. As soon as the window was opened, the sound of flapping wings filled the room. The disillusioned owl flew straight to Hermione and landed on the back of her chair. Though disillusioned, the owl was easy to see as the rain water dripped off of the bird's body. Remus, who had pulled out his wand, tapped the head of the bird, dispelling the illusionment charm and revealing Harry's snowy owl.

"Hedwig!" Hermione called out softly. The very disgruntled bird hooted in acknowledgement and stuck out her leg, determined to deliver her letter. Hermione untied the message from the bird's leg and unrolled it.

_Death Eaters attacking Privet Drive. Send help._

_-Harry_

"What does it say Hermione?" Remus asked. Hermione just handed him the message and resumed her seat next to Harry. Hedwig had also taken up position on the headboard of Harry's bed. Remus read the note and then put it in his pocket. He nodded to Hermione, who had turned her attention back to Harry, and left the room. John and Anne just nodded at each other and headed to their room.

R-o-t-G-L-

Phillip Fairbanks was absolutely bored, as usual. He was head of a small, secret, five-person department which, by necessity, had to remain both secret and small. They, that is his department, were the liaisons between the British Government and the so-called Ministry of Magic. Sounded important, but couldn't have been more useless. It's not like they ever had much do to, as the wizards only contacted his department if they somehow screwed up. Like that Sirius Black incident. Apparently, the wand-waver's "inescapable" prison wasn't as inescapable as they claimed. Since that incident three years ago, things had been going down hill. Especially over the past year.

First it was the escape of not one, but twelve witches and wizards from their prison. Now, a little over a month ago, this He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named character, who apparently has a grudge against all the non-magical people and even a large part of the magical citizens, has been declared alive and kicking. Of course, apparently the wizards had been warned of the Dark Lord's return well over a year ago, but they had ignored it like the incompetent clowns they were. He didn't know the details of who warned them and how, nor did he care. It really wasn't that important to him.

It would be more than sufficient to say that Phil didn't think too highly of the wizarding people or their government. The representatives from the Ministry of Magic he had to deal with were either incompetent, ridiculously arrogant, or both. Either way, he hated dealing with them and he hated his job. What good was it? It's not like he could put it on his resume and he certainly didn't feel like he was doing something with his life.

It was an early Monday morning and he was currently reclining in his office chair, sipping some coffee and reading a magazine when the door to his office was thrown open. Phil didn't even bat an eye. His employees were always making dramatic entrances. It was the running joke of the office, grandly throwing the doors open and pretending that whatever they were doing was of some great importance.

"What is it, Adam?" Phil said to the person who had thrown open his door.

"Phil, there's a wizard here to see you. He says it's urgent."

"They always say what they want is urgent. Ask him what he needs and send him away." Phil hadn't even looked up from his magazine as he spoke.

"Sure Phil, but if he hexes me or something, I'm blaming you." Phil just waved his hand idly in dismissal and re-focused on his magazine.

It was silent for a few minutes so Phil quietly hoped that whatever the wizard wanted wasn't really important. Apparently that was not the case as his door was once again thrown open, but instead of one of his employees, a man wearing a suit that looked at least thirty years out of date and had a horrible plaid pattern strutted into his office.

"What do you want? Did you let another convict out?" Phil asked in a bored tone, never taking his eyes off of his magazine.

"Actually, muggle, there was an attack we feel your government should be made aware of." Phil set his magazine down and looked up at the wizard, an extremely bored look to match his voice on his face. The wizard seemed to hesitate at seeing the muggle's complete lack of interest in the wizard.

"Fine." Phil spoke, and after a long pause continued. "What happened."

"Last night there was an attack by supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on a neighborhood in Surrey," he stated pompously, tossing a stack of parchment onto Phil's desk. "The road is Privet Drive and the neighborhood is Little Whinging or something like that. Muggle casualties are over one hundred. Right now, there are some anti-muggle wards up around the neighborhood, but we don't know how long they will stay there. I suggest you inform your Minister as soon as possible so you can come up with a cover story."

"I see." Phil said, still looking at the wizard. The news depressed him greatly as he always hated to hear about innocent people getting dragged into these wand-wavers problems, but he wasn't going to let it show. Luckily, it also angered him, an emotion he had no problem expressing to the stupid wizards. "So, when are you people going to show some competency in dealing with your own people? What the heck is the point of hiding your 'society'" he said in a mocking tone "if you can't keep your wars secret?"

"Maybe if you muggles weren't so weak, you could defend yourselves!" The wizard replied testily.

"Please, at least us our citizens don't have to walk armed wherever we go. Perhaps, instead of us getting more paranoid and aggressive, perhaps your society should be less hostile and medieval. Maybe then you could finally catch up with the rest of the country. Now, if you have nothing else to say, get out of my office." While he was talking, he had stood up and had finished practically yelling in the wizards face. The wizard, for that matter, merely glared at him, and with a loud pop, disappeared.

Phil sighed as he sat back in his seat. He rested his head in his hand for a few minutes before picking up the receiver for his phone. He waited a few moments as it rang and then someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello, this is Phillip Fairbanks from the internal relations department. I need to talk to the Minister."

R-o-t-G-L-

The next three days were subdued in Grimmauld Place. Hermione, after explaining to her family that Harry had been attacked, had spent most of her free time, accompanied by her cat Crookshanks, around Mr. Potter. She had practically set up camp next to Harry's bed and had barely moved from the room, spending much of her time reading from a large stack of books that she had accumulated the morning after the attacks.

Deciding to make herself useful, she had also taken to wearing Harry's amulet that allowed him to use underage magic, therefore allowing her to practice what she read and cast the occasional cleaning spell on Harry. While she, Hermione, was not in the habit of breaking the law (she really just preferred to bend the rules, and only if it was necessary), she reasoned to herself that if Harry could pull off what he had done for over a month without being caught, surely using it for a few days wasn't that bad.

It was the third day, or more precisely morning, after the attack on Privet Drive that Harry finally woke up. It was still dark when he finally opened his eyes, feeling a warm weight on his chest. Moving his head, he took in his surroundings. Noticing that he was not in the hospital wing and currently not in any physical pain, he felt he could safely conclude that he had made it back to Headquarters. As he looked around some more, he noticed three important things. The first was that it was currently 3:30 in the morning, at least according to the clock. The second was that the weight on his chest was none other than the sleeping form of Hermione's half-kneezle Crookshanks. The third was that Hermione Granger, the person he considered his best friend, was sleeping rather peacefully in a chair next to his bed. This brought a smile to his face, knowing that she had been there, though he rolled his eyes when he saw the stack of books piled next to her chair. He lay there for a few moments, looking at his friend in the darknesss. She didn't really look different from the last time he saw her, but he rationalized that while he hadn't seen her in five months, it really had only been about a month and a half since she had seen him. As he stared at her, he thought that she was actually kind of cute, in a Hermione sort of way, when she was asleep. He pushed these thoughts out of his head as his stomach growled, reminding him that it was time to get out of bed.

'Just how long have I been out,' he thought tiredly. With a groan, Harry tried to roll himself out off of the bed, only to find that he couldn't move anything below his neck. He started to panic, his neck squirming vainly as he tried to move the rest of his body. Fear flooded his mind as the possibility that he might have been paralyzed by one of the spell that had hit him. After a few moments, he stopped struggling and tried to reason through it. If it was a spell that had damaged him, then there may be a way to reverse it. Reaching out with his magic, he tried to pick see if he could sense if any spells were affecting him. He let out a sigh of relief when he found that it was only some form of restraining magic was immobilizing him and not some dark curse.

Summoning his power, something that actually came easier than it had before the attack, he broke the restraining spells Pomfrey had put on him. He grabbed the sleeping cat and placed it on the bed. Quickly conjuring a walking cane and one of his robes wandlessly, he ambled out of his room, glancing back only once to make sure he hadn't disturbed Hermione's sleep. He made his way down the stairs, leaning against the wall for support every now and then, and headed for the kitchen.

As he expected, the kitchen was dark and empty. Feeling completely refreshed, except for his aching muscles, he decided to make breakfast in about an hour. Right now, however, his throat was a bit sore from disuse and the potions Madame Pomfrey had undoubtedly forced into him, so he lit the stove and had begun boiling water for tea when a voice spoke from behind him.

"Madame Pomfrey said you would have to remain in bed for at least a week, Harry. I also thought she had put some restraining charms on you." Harry immediately stopped what he was doing as he heard the unmistakable voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked.

"Almost three days," the old man replied calmly.

"And how long have you been standing there?"

"I just came in."

"You did tell Madame Pomfrey that I would heal up faster than normal, right?"

"I am sorry Harry, but I did not want to divulge that you had used illegal magical rituals or even hint that there was more going on with you than what is known. There is a bit of a stigma attached to the magics you used and there are some in the Order who would not understand." The old man explained.

"Good." Harry sighed in relief and continued to work on preparing tea.

"Harry, why don't you conjure a cup of tea rather than making one?"

"I want to make it by hand. Besides, I have time to kill. There is also that pesky under-aged magic law, and you know how that goes." Harry paused for a moment and a frown formed on his face. "I conjured a walking cane, why hasn't an owl arrived yet?"

"Well my boy, when I was busy at the ministry, I was able to get a month-long suspension of the Restriction for Underage magic for you." Harry frowned when Dumbledore said that. "You see Harry, it seems that after your impressive display of magic and the public sympathy that the death of your relatives brought, the Ministry was quite eager to accommodate your needs, including your need to use magic."

"I see." Harry shook his head at the blatant brown-nosing the ministry was doing for him. "So Headmaster, how did you explain everything to the Order about what happened? I mean, it's not like you could tell them everything."

"Well…" Dumbledore trailed off. Harry, froze again and then looked at Albus in shock.

"You didn't, did you?" Harry was almost pleading.

"Don't worry Harry, only a select few and not everything." The old wizard tried to pacify Harry, who had obviously become irritated.

"Only a select few?" Harry slightly mocked, his voice rising slightly. "And who are these select few and how much is 'not everything'?"

"Only people you can trust Harry, and they needed to know."

"Headmaster," Harry said, apparently ignoring the old man's last statement, "I will ask you again. Who?"

"Just Miss and Misses Granger and Professor McGonagall." Albus replied hesitantly.

"You told them?" Harry glared at the old man as he said this. "Did it not occur to you that I didn't want them to know, or anyone for that matter? That it is safer with them not knowing?" He would have been shouting at Albus if his throat weren't so sore.

"I am truly sorry you feel that way, Harry. I did only what I thought was best. Ms. Granger deserved to know, if only so she could give you the help you need. She is, after all, the smartest student of your year. You know as well as I do that much of the wizarding world would look down on you if they learned the steps you have taken to defeat Voldemort. You will need the support of your friends." He seemed to slump a little before continuing. "I knew you wouldn't tell your friends, if only to protect them, or perhaps because you fear what they would think of you. Maybe you might think they would pity you, as I know you are a proud person and would not want that sort of attention. But the reality is that you need to share your burden and you need people to understand you, and the only way they can do that is if they know what you know. As for the Minerva, I also trust her completely and know that they would never divulge such information."

"And Mrs. Granger? Is there a particular reason she needed to know?"

"You have to understand Harry, young Hermione was quite distraught when you showed up that night. Her home had been attacked earlier and…"

"Hermione's home was attacked?" Concern quickly replaced the anger in Harry's voice as he interrupted Dumbledore.

"Don't worry Harry. Ms. Granger and her family are fine, if not a little confused. They were here when you arrived."

"Oh." Harry really couldn't remember too much after the Death Eaters had port-keyed away, much less who was present at his less than graceful return to headquarters.

"As I was saying, Ms. Granger was quite distraught when you showed up. After Madame Pomfrey had arrived, I took Ms. Granger aside along with Professor McGonagall. When I explained the situation to them, I allowed Mrs. Granger to stay as moral support for Ms. Granger." Harry merely nodded and went back to silently making tea. It was after a few moments that he spoke up.

"You're doing it again Headmaster." Harry said with a sigh.

"I don't understand Harry. What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the same reasons you gave me for keeping the prophecy from me in the first place are practically the same reasons you are giving me for sharing the prophecy."

"I realize that Harry. I am just concerned about you, especially after spending so much time with yourself this summer. I fear that you would not open up to your friends."

"I know what that you fear me becoming isolated and perhaps becoming evil. I also know that you think you are looking out for my best interests. But what about Hermione's parents and their best interests? What about Professor McGonagall? I trust them to keep their word and you may have a valid point about why you told them, but what if they were captured, hmm? How will we keep it secret then? This prophecy is beyond my happiness and health, it is about the outcome of this war."

"First of all, I only told them the first part, the part that Voldemort heard, and the part that confirms you as the prophecy's recipient. So no major harm has been done in that regard. Professor McGonagall has some skill at Occlumency and is perfectly capable of defending herself. Besides, most Order members also have at least some rudimentary skill or knowledge in Occlumency, at least those that have vital and dangerous knowledge. I have no doubt your friend Hermione can easily pick up Occlumency, especially with your help. As far as Mrs. Granger is concerned, while being a muggle she can't pickup Occlumency, she can be obliviated."

"Obliviation has be broken with enough torture." Harry replied flatly.

"But she can only be tortured if she is caught. We will increase the protection around her and the rest of her family. I am quite sure that if you agree to help Harry, I can almost guarantee you that we can make the Granger family practically untouchable. As a safety, we can also try to remove that memory from Anne Granger and place it in a pensieve. She can not disclose a memory if it is no longer there. There are, of course, some complications with that solution, as she can not use a wand, but I already have formulated some theories on how to overcome that obstacle." Harry was still glaring at Dumbledore, though less intensely as before. "Remember Harry, don't think that I make these decisions lightly."

"I know." He sighed in defeat. "I just wish you would stop trying to be a 'master manipulator.' And stop making so many assumptions about my life and me. I don't have the energy to be upset with you so it would be extremely helpful if you stopped giving me reasons to be angry."

"I will try Harry, but old habits are hard to break." This elicited a small chuckle from Harry, which was quickly joined by Albus. Grinning, Harry looked back up at Dumbledore.

"Well, at least you acknowledge you have a problem. I recall reading somewhere that that is the first step to recovery." The two of them shared another chuckle before Harry's face turned serious again. "I'm still upset at you, but what is done is done, and like I told you earlier, it is impractical and an inefficient use of my time for me to be angry at you. Next time, consult with me first." Harry paused, and seemed to think for a moment, before continuing. "Consider this a warning sir. Next time, I will also not be as forgiving."

"I will Harry, and I wanted to consult you about it, but you happened to be incapacitated at the time." He paused before continuing. "Do not worry Harry, I am not considered a, what did you call me, a 'master manipulator?' for nothing. I know what I am doing."

Harry brought over the tea and the two of them sat down to talk. Harry had wanted to discuss the attack on the Grangers and what was to be done about Privet Drive.

"Harry, tomorrow I will be holding an Order meeting to discuss these issues. We had a preliminary one yesterday when Professor Snape arrived and informed us of what had happened. However, now that you are conscious and the Ministry's investigation is complete, I feel it is prudent to re-evaluate the situation. I would like to invite you to attend. Not as an Order member of course, but as a guest." Harry thought about it for only a few moments.

"I agree sir."

"Now, you realize that I can not allow you to attend the part of the meeting where we discuss the situation of out operatives and such, but there is no question that you deserve to know all we know about the attacks." Harry understood and accepted the terms. As he and Dumbledore had discussed earlier, the only information Harry needed to know were Voldemort's plans concerning him.

"Harry," Albus said suddenly, if a bit cautiously, "I have a suggestion I think you should consider." This immediately put Harry on edge, but he nodded his head for Albus to continue.

"I think you should inform Ms. Granger, and perhaps Mr. Weasley of the last two lines of the prophecy."

"Umm, why?" he asked cautiously. Harry, after all, thought that that was a terrible idea, but wanted to hear Albus's reasoning.

"Well, first of all, I think that it might help you to have someone to confide in. After all, having the task of saving the wizarding world placed on your shoulders can be very stressing. Now, I don't want to tell you what you should think, but those two have, for the most part, stuck by you for so many years and have helped you with your battles. They may, in my opinion, like to know just why they have been fighting." Harry pondered that idea for a moment before reaching a decision.

"You may have a point sir, and I will take it under consideration, but," he said warningly, "I promise nothing." Albus agreed, happy that Harry would at least consider it.

The two of talked idly for a few minutes while Harry had started to make breakfast for the house until they heard a steady 'clunk clunk' coming down the stairs. Both of their heads turned to face the door as Alastor Moody, the retired Auror, entered the room.

"Well, Potter, you will be happy to know you've left the Ministry in quite an uproar. Half the people there are praising you for your 'decisive and effective' actions against the Death Eaters. Some are calling you a cold hearted killer, mind you those tend to be the purebloods with questionable reputations and loyalties as it is, and the rest are just scared of you." The old Auror actually seemed quite amused at the chaos Harry had brought to the bureaucrats.

"You did do well my boy." Dumbledore added. "There are not many who would have been able to pull off what you did. And I think you will be hard pressed to find someone who will truly find your actions unacceptable given the circumstances."

"I appreciate the sentiments, but I screwed up Albus." Neither of the two wizards registered that Harry had used Dumbledore's first name. Meanwhile, Harry was still talking while he dumped eggs in a bowl. "I should not have been caught off guard. I was weak, unaware, and in no condition for a fight. It is more of a miracle than anything else that I survived!"

"Really Harry?" Dumbledore said, "If it was not skill and power, how did you escape the house?"

"Hah! Skill and power! I used up most of the power I had gathered during the battle to cast the _Hammer of the Witches_. I was practically defenseless afterwards! Had I been prepared, if I hadn't spent so much energy on exercises that day I could have ended it sooner, without having to test the boundaries of the prophecy." This last statement seemed to confuse Moody.

"What do you mean by 'test the boundaries' Potter?" The old Auror asked.

"Now who is revealing secrets?" Dumbledore said idly. Harry glared at Albus, mumbling something about it being 'his secret to share', while the aging headmaster merely nodded for him to continue. With one more glance at the Headmaster, Harry continued.

"What I am talking about Mr. Moody, it taking a killing curse point blank to the chest and living, that's what I'm talking about."

"Potter, you were hit with a killing curse? Again?" Harry might have found the grizzled ex-auror's shocked expression amusing had he not been upset.

"Yeah, I did. I suppose that would mean I was right about the prophecy." Albus just shrugged his shoulders while Moody's eye was swiveling between the two of them, looking absolutely confused.

"Harry, I know that in the past, it seems as if fate had intervened on your behalf. And yes, it appears it might have intervened again, but you did not take out over ten Death Eaters by chance. If it had only been luck, you may have been able to escape. As it is, you have now put fear into the Dark Lord's forces. In the end, it was power, skill, and resolve that brought you through."

"Albus is right Potter. The odds were stacked against you, but you persevered. This time you didn't run, you were the victor. Yes, lives were lost. Yes, you got torn up. Morally, we suffered a loss. Strategically, you have seriously damaged the Dark Lords forces, re-asserted yourself as an icon of hope, and you have undoubtedly made the Dark Lord very hesitant about fighting you."

"I would have preferred that we had a victory on all fronts, not just the strategic one Professor." Harry replied as he started to make waffles.

"We can't always have it both ways Potter. And how many times must I tell you to not call me Professor? I wasn't your teacher for a day in my life. It's Moody, or Alastor if you prefer."

"Okay Prof… I mean Alastor." Harry said. Suddenly, an odd look came across Harry's face, confusing the two adults until they saw what Harry was doing. Harry had grabbed the collar of his robe and pulled it down so he could see the part of his flesh right above his heart. Sitting there on his skin was a partially healed, odd-shaped wound that seemed to spread out from a central point.

"Headmaster, why isn't that wound like the one on my head? Or better yet, why is it there a wound at all?"

"Well Harry," Dumbledore replied, "I have given that careful consideration and I have come up with an idea. First of all, the reason that it marked your body at all is that it did not kill you. The killing curse tears your life-force away. When it did not work on you, the energy that would have been used to snuff out your life had to go somewhere. You see the same thing when the curse hits an inanimate object. I believe that your body actually absorbed most of it, but not all of it, meaning that it left a mark."

Harry just looked at him in confusion for a few moments before it seemed that something dawned on him.

"I get it. There was more energy than I could handle so the excess had to do something, and since it is destructive in nature, it wounded me. But that still doesn't explain why it is different from the scar on my head."

"Well first of all Harry, the one on your head it smaller because much of the energy from the curse that Voldemort sent at you was reflected back at him. And it is also of a different nature than the wound on your chest. And to answer the question that is no doubt going through your mind right now, no, I do not believe you have a connection to Bellatrix Lestrange through your new wound." Harry looked at Albus questionaly as he said that. "Yes Harry, Severus has told us what happened. As it is, I do believe that your wound will not scar. As to why this is and why it did not rebound upon the caster, I feel it has something to do with your mothers blood protection. By the time Bellatrix cast the curse, the protection was completely gone."

"So," Harry said, "do I have to ask how I survived or were you going to get to that?"

"Well Harry, I don't know. Perhaps the killing curse is like one of those illnesses, such as the chicken pox, that once you have suffered from it, it can't hurt you again. Maybe because of the fact that you posses some of Voldemorts power and he now has some of your blood, coupled with your connection, you share a part of your life force with him and therefore can only be killed by him and him by you. The only true answer I can give you is that I don't know. Anything that I can tell you is purely speculation since we are still unsure about how the killing curse works."

"How can no one know how it works, sir?"

"Potter," Alastor chimed in, "the killing curse is one of the oldest spells in the magical world. It is one of those things where we know _how_ to use it, just now how it works or who made it and when."

"Harry," Albus asked seriously, "during your training did you ever practice any of the unforgivables over your summer?"

"Yes Headmaster," Harry replied, "but it was one of the spells that I could only perform with a wand."

"How come?" the old man asked curiously. "What made it so difficult?"

"It wasn't the power of the spell, but I could never get a good feel of the magic." At Moddy's questioning gaze, he continued. "All my wandless magic is mostly performed by intention alone, sort of a controlled accidental magic. However, for more complex spells, the magic needs to be manipulated in very specific ways, hence all the different forms of wand waving. When I cast one of these complex spells with my wand, I can feel how the magic behaves and how it is manipulated, and, with that feeling in mind, I can try and emulate the spell wandlessly. Now, I can't always do it, due to complexity and power issues, but the killing curse is different from most other spells. Even with the ones I can't do wandlessly, I can get some sort of weak result. I can't get any results with Killing Curse though, no matter how much I try. I just can't get a good 'feel' of its magic." When Harry had finished, Moody was looking at Harry with something akin to respect, while Dumbledore merely looked pensive,

"Thank you Harry, that is most interesting and it does gives me something to dwell on." Albus said, "Now, enough of this depressing talk. We need to finish making breakfast."

"_We_ make breakfast, sir?" Harry eyed Dumbledore skeptically.

"Of course Harry! I never have actually cooked before, but it looks quite entertaining."

"That's what you said about the tent, sir. Why don't you just leave the breakfast to me and you can experiment later." Dumbledore's face fell a little but accepted that Harry was probably right. Harry continued cooking, mumbling things about 'incompetent purebloods' and 'meddling old fools.'

Harry was setting the table while he waited for the sausage to finish cooking when the door to kitchen opened, admitting into the room five people who Harry didn't recognize. Well, mostly. There was a woman who had bushy hair that was very similar to Hermione's though darker, so he made the logical conclusion that the woman was Hermione's mother. There was a man, about the same age as the woman, an older couple, and a woman who was probably in her early twenties.

They stopped in their tracks when they saw Harry. Noticing the newcomers (which made Harry quite proud of himself considering he had failed to notice when Dumbledore had entered the room), he looked them in the eyes, a smile forming on his face.

"I would guess that you are Hermione's family, correct?" Harry asked the assembled group.

"Yes, my name is Anne Granger, and this is my husband John," the bushy haired woman said. These are my parents and this is my niece Melissa. You must be Harry Potter." Harry shook each of their hands as they were introduced and nodded to indicate that she was correct in her assumption of who he was.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Harry said.

"The pleasure is all ours. Hermione has told us a lot about you. And I must say, you look surprisingly well considering the state you were in when you arrived."

"Oh, you saw that?" Harry felt a bit awkward at being seen in such a state of weakness in front of his friend's parents. Apparently the Granger's picked up on this.

"Its okay dear, Hermione explained to us what happened and I must say, I am quite impressed, and so is my daughter." Anne said to Harry, with what Harry thought was a hint of pride.

"Are you staying around for breakfast?" Harry asked, looking for a more comfortable topic than the attack. "It will be ready in a few minutes."

"Yes, Mr. Dumbledore said it won't be safe at our home for a few more days, so we will be staying here." It had been John Granger who had spoken this time. "Is Hermione down yet?"

"No sir," Harry replied "she was still sleeping when I got up." With that Harry gripped his walking stick and moved back over to the stove.

"Are you sure you should be up and about right now?" Anne said worriedly, watching the young man hobble about. "You don't look like you're healed yet."

"I will be fine ma'am." Harry replied as he started to put food out onto the table. "I just need to work the soreness out of the muscles." Surprisingly, at least as far as Harry was concerned, both Alastor and Albus had remained quiet during his discourse with Hermione's family. 'Must be becoming common for all of them to eat together,' he thought.

They had all just sat down to eat when hurried footsteps were heard descending the stairs into the kitchen. Harry lowered his head as he took a guess on who would be rushing around this early in the morning. Hermione burst into the kitchen, confirming Harry's prediction.

"Mom! Headmaster, sir! Have you seen Harry?" She sounded a little panicked, Harry thought. "He wasn't in his bed when I woke up and I know he doesn't have his wand! What if he went missing?"

"I'm fine Hermione. I just needed to stretch my legs a bit." Apparently, that was not the right thing to say as Hermione turned to glare at Harry, though he did not see anger in her eyes, only concern.

"Harry, what are you doing out of bed? You had me worried! You're really shouldn't be moving around just yet, that is why Madame Pomphrey but those restraining spells on you."

"Like I said Hermione, I'm fine." Harry then gestured to the table, "Sit, I made breakfast."

"You made breakfast?" Harry just nodded. "Harry, you really shouldn't be exerting yourself like this." Just from the tone of her voice Harry knew Hermione was genuinely concerned about him, so he decided to put her mind at ease.

"How about this Hermione; after breakfast I promise that I will go back up to my room and rest. Does that work for you?" She seemed to want to argue her point more just for the sake of working of her stress, but seeing as how stubborn Harry could be and just being happy that he had finally woken up, she acquiesced.

"That's fine, Harry."

"Good." Harry grinned. "Now sit down and eat. I didn't cook this meal for my own health." 'Well, not completely' he added under his breath. Both Harry and Hermione failed to notice the knowing glances that had been shared between the adults as the two teens spoke.

Once breakfast had been finished, Dumbledore tried to help Harry get back up to his room while Hermione and her parents had agreed to clean the dishes. Harry was going to clean up himself, but Hermione, being just as stubborn as Harry at times, had held him to his promise of going straight to bed and had argued that if he could drag himself out of bed to cook the breakfast, the least she could do was help clean up.

Harry had settled himself down on the bed was busy reading the day's Daily Prophet. The headline was some nonsense about the 'Brave Boy Who Lived' and it made him sick. 'These are the same people who called me a lunatic last year, deranged and dangerous. Now they sing my praise because the Ministry has changed its position on Voldemort. Idiots.' He had just chucked the paper across the room when the door to his room opened. He looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway. He gave her a quick smile and beckoned her to come in before turning back to his paper, forgetting for a moment he had thrown it across the room.

"How are you doing Harry?" Hermione asked cautiosly, trying to make sure she didn't ignite Harry's unpredictable temper. She did just see him chuck the paper across the room after all.

"I'm fine Hermione. A bit sore, but ok." He replied lightly.

"Oh. Are you sure? If you want to talk or anything, just know that I am here to listen." The softness in her voice caused Harry to turn his attention fully on Hermione and saw the concern in her face.

"Hermione, I'm fine. Really. I'm just tired and sore."

"Are you sure, Harry?" At this he frowned at her. "You didn't seem to happy when I came in. I thought you might need to talk about what happened during the attack." Harry looked at her, a slight bit of confusion showing on his face.

"I was just mad at the paper Hermione, as I am sure you can understand. As for the rest of your concerns, I'm not sure what there is to talk about. I mean, the facts are pretty straight forward."

"What is there to talk about Harry?" She almost sounded indignant. "You show up one night, battered and bloody, having slain quite a few Death Eaters and seen far too many people die and you ask 'what is there to talk about'! Lets not forget the fact that you have a prophecy hanging over your head!" In those last few words she went from indignant to almost hysterical. Harry's face dawned in comprehension as he realized what Hermione was getting at.

"Actually Hermione, I'm okay with what my actions, and the Prophecy for that matter, though I have had a little chat with the Headmaster about his revealing it to you." This seemed to shock her into silence. Seeing this, he continued.

"You see Hermione, earlier this summer I realized I had two choices. The first was that I could sit around and do nothing, moping about how I had neither the power nor skill to defeat Voldemort. I could sit in my room and waste away while I mourned Sirius. And I did, for a few days at least, but eventually I chose my second option. Instead of drowning in self-pity about my inability to accomplish the daunting task ahead of me, I chose to do something about it. Did I go about it in the best way? I don't know. Were my actions legal?" He shook his head in amusement as he said that. "Most definitely not. But effective? Very." Hermione just stood there, listening and trying to get a good bearing on this new Harry.

"I once felt guilty about Sirius's death, that is was somehow my fault that he died. And, in a sense, it was. But to be so thick, so naïve to believe it was purely my fault or that even a majority of the fault rested on my shoulders was ludicrous. There were so many factors that led to his death, so many variables that were outside my control. Yes, I should have listened to you, but I didn't. And there are reasons I didn't that I will explain to you later." He took a breath to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Do you know, Hermione, that when I think back upon that night a few days ago, I feel absolutely no guilt? True, I feel sorry for the innocent muggles who were killed only because they lived in the same neighborhood as me. But the Death Eaters? There is no guilt because, in a sense, I don't feel that I was the one who killed them." At this he held up his hand to stall whatever comment Hermione was likely to make. "The fact that I was the instrument of their death is not relevant. They sealed their fate when they took the Dark Mark and chose to side with Voldemort. I saw what they did to my aunt and uncle. I saw the destruction they wrought upon my neighborhood and I heard the screams of the innocent as they were killed. I also the saw they joy they got out of their work. The Death Eaters deserved what they got and, perhaps, they were even let off easy for their crimes."

"I- I don't want to question your judgment Harry, but why not just stun them so they could face trial?"

"Why? So their fellows could revive them with a quick _enervate_? So that if they were captured, Voldemort could break them out again? It was a lesson we learned in the Department of Mysteries." She looked at him slightly perplexed, waiting for him to explain his statement. "I would say, Hermione, that at the Ministry, we hit the Death Eaters more often than they hit us. The problem is, they aimed to kill, so when we got hit, we stayed down." The bushy haired girl just nodded in acceptance before she spoke up.

"I suppose that makes sense Harry, and I won't criticize your decisions or your actions. I don't know if I would have done the same, but I guess I won't know until I am in such a situation. And," She seemed to hesitate a little, "and, I am proud of you. I am proud of how you handled the news of the prophecy and I am proud that you have taken the responsibility of it gracefully."

"Thank you Hermione, that means a lot coming from you. Though, to be honest, I didn't handle it that well at first. I sort of attempted to trash Dumbledore's office." Hermione gasped.

"Harry! You didn't!"

"I did," he replied, a small smirk playing upon his face.

"I suppose I shouldn't lecture you too much," Hermione said. "After all, I did yell at the Headmaster when he told us about the prophecy."

"Aww," he cooed proudly. "My Hermione is growing up, what with yelling at powerful wizards and such." Harry said, his lips forming a slight smirk.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. Harry just chuckled as his friend settled on glaring at him (something he thought Hermione was becoming far too good at).

A comfortable silence descended upon the room, giving Hermione some time to observe Harry. He had definitely changed both physically and mentally. He looked as if he might be taller, though it was hard to tell while he was lying down. While he was healed up and Madame Pomfrey had said he was as healthy as he had been at school, if not more so, he was still extraordinarily pale. It then occurred to her that she had no idea how long Harry had been using the time turner she had found around his neck.

"Harry?"

"Yes Hermione?"

"How long were you using the time turner?" He froze up as he heard her say that last phrase.

"I don't know what you're talking about Hermione." He said in a very deadpan tone. She merely raised an eyebrow at him and reached into her pocket.

"Really? Than why was this hanging around your neck?" With that she pulled the broken remains of the time turner out of her pocket and dangled it in front of him.

"Err, yeah." Now he was looking a bit sheepish. "That, well, yeah." He sighed, obviously unable to think of a good excuse. He had thought Dumbledore had removed it from his possession, but apparently that was not the case. It did not surprise him, however, that it was broken. His torso had, after all, taken quite a beating. Keeping his eyes on the broken magical item, he spoke. "Well, you caught me. I suppose you also have the other thing?" She just nodded and moved the collar of her shirt with her free hand, showing that she was currently wearing it. At his confused expression, she explained.

"I figured that since it was here, and no one was using it, I might as well put it to use."

"Really?" He chuckled. "I would have never of thought that Hermione Granger, top student and Gryffindor prefect, would ever stoop to using an illegal magical item."

"Like you're one to talk, Harry. You, who illegally bought a time turner, who has performed massive amounts of underage magic, and is the owner of this illegal magical trinket, has no business criticizing me if I happen to want to use it for a few days. Now, answer my question. How long did you use it?"

"Well, I usually repeated a week five times." He shrunk a little under the glare Hermione threw him.

"And how many weeks did you do this?"

"Well, I think it was about four weeks, might have been fice, give or take a few days. It really is hard to remember sometimes."

"So, as far as you're concerned, it has been well over five months since school we got back from Hogwarts." He merely nodded. "Where did you spend all of your time?"

"I was around, here and there." Apparently that was the second wrong answer of the day, as Hermione again decided to glare at him.

"Harry…" Hermione said in a tone that was clearly a warning.

"Hermione," he said, starting to get a little miffed. "It's not important what and where I did what I did, just that I did it and it paid off. The rest is not important."

"Harry, do you remember what you wrote in one of your letters earlier this summer?"

"Well, not exactly, I mean, as far as I'm concerned it was a few months ago."

"Well," she smirked as she said this "you had told me that you will, and I quote, 'always listen to Hermione.' Now, I am going to hold you to that Harry. So, that said, I want you to tell me what you have been up to this summer and you are going to tell me today. If you don't, I may have to hex you!"

"Really Hermione," he said, a smirk forming, "are threats necessary?"

"Yes Harry, they are." She said in a dead serious tone. "One of the things I have learned about you over the years is that you can be irrationally stubborn and you won't do or say anything without a reason to. I could try and convince you that I want to help you and that my knowing what you have done will help me help you. Perhaps I could point out that I am your friend and I just want to know what my best friend has been up to over his summer. I could also tell you that I am really curious academically about what you have done, learned, and how you did what you did. But I also know you can be insufferably stubborn, hardheaded, and proud. You also won't ask for help, even when you need it. So yes, hexing you may become necessary."

Harry just stared at her for a few moments, slightly surprised at what she had said. 'Am I really that secretive? She may have a point. It's not like I go out of my way to talk about my life.'

"Fine, Hermione. You made your point. You're smarter than me and you care about me. I should therefore tell you what I know so you can figure out what more I need to do." He sighed for a moment. "That does seem to be what your good at."

"That's right Harry. I need to help you, and I can only do that with your cooperation."

"Very well Hermione." He said, sounding slightly defeated. He had decided that he was going to follow through on his decision to listen to the girl. He had made a commitment to pay more attention to his friend and listen to her, so, being a man of his word, he would. Besides, she already knew all the important parts, what was the harm in some details? "Where do you want me to start?"

"Why don't you start at the beginning of your summer, just after you left the train station?"

He proceeded to tell Hermione about his summer training and his replicates. He left out the information on the rituals, hoping Hermione didn't know about them. Hermione, meanwhile, allowed him go on believing she didn't know about them. She had picked up from both observing Harry and his behavior and her conversations with the Headmaster that Harry had become even more stubborn and perhaps even more secretive. She had a feeling that Dumbledore was right when he had said that Harry's friends would have to be on guard to keep him from pulling away from them. She figured that, if worse came to worse, she could hold that information over his head. Would he like it? No. But she would do it if the situation called for it. It was always better to do what was best for the people you love than to do what they want. After Harry had finished his tale of summer training, he had started answering Hermione's questions.

"So you spent all your time in a magical tent? No wonder you're so pale." Hermione shook her head. "Really Harry, you need to learn to take better care of yourself."

"Don't worry Hermione, I took steps to ensure my health. Besides, I hear the pale, dark-lord look is in these days." He said with a grin. Hermione just gazed at him, thinking that the isolation might have effected his mind. She shook her head, as if to clear it, and asked Harry another question.

"Harry, Professor Snape said that some creature had defended you at Privet Drive. What was that thing that attacked the Death Eaters?"

"Oh that?" Harry replied with pride in his voice. "Those are magical constructs, I call them Frankensteins. The one that attacked the Death Eaters was one I called Ted and…" Harry trailed off as a look of dread came across his face.

"Harry!" Hermione nearly shouted as she saw the fear in his features. "What is it? What's wrong?" Harry had to take a moment to calm himself before he replied.

"I forgot about Ted. We need to find him."

* * *


	12. Finding Ted

Disclaimer: I told you all before, I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise nor am I making any money off of this fic.

_AN: I based the OWL scoring on the system SS Idget used. If it is not correct, I don't care._

* * *

Chapter 12:

Finding Ted

* * *

Harry rolled himself out of his bed as Hermione handed him his walking cane. With a wave of his hand, he transfigured his robes into tan slacks and a black T-shirt. Hermione, who was already wearing muggle clothing, waited patiently for Harry to get himself ready before asking him to explain himself.

"What is it, Harry? What do you mean you 'forgot about Ted?'" Hermione asked as she followed Harry down the stairs, cane clunking dully against the carpeted floor.

"What I mean Hermione is that…" Harry stumbled as he tried to descend the stairs, interrupting what he was going to say. Hermione reached and grabbed his arm to support him, preventing him from tumbling down the stairs. "Thanks", he mumbled. He took a moment to regain his balance before continuing. "What I mean is, I left my magical construct, who, as I told you, I have been calling Ted, somewhere in a muggle neighborhood."

"Harry," Hermione reprimanded, "what were you thinking, leaving such a thing in a muggle neighborhood? From what I heard of Professor Snape's description, it's not something that would go unnoticed."

"I know Hermione, I know! But my options were somewhat limited!" Harry said as he limped as quickly as he could down into the sitting room, still using Hermione and his cane to support himself. "I didn't expect to be out of it for three days!" Hermione just nodded her head in acceptance as she walked next to Harry into the sitting room.

Upon entering it, they were once again confronted with Hermione's family. Hermione's grandfather looked up from the game of chess he was playing with John Granger.

"Hello there Hermione, Mr. Potter. Is everything okay?" He asked, seeing the slightly panicked expression Harry was wearing.

"Actually Grandpa," Hermione responded, "we need to see Headmaster Dumbledore. Do you know if he is still around?"

"I am right here Ms. Granger," came the grandfatherly voice of Albus Dumbledore. Both Hermione and Harry (though not as quickly as Hermione) turned around to find the old man standing in the entrance to the sitting room. Harry raised his eyebrow questionably at the old man.

"I heard you thumping down the stairs," he said, responding to Harry's unasked question while he gestured to the cane Harry was leaning on. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

"He left his magical demon construct in a muggle neighbor hood, sir." Hermione replied. This in turned resulted in Dumbledore giving Harry a questioning look.

"I'll explain why later, sir." Harry replied. "Just right now, I need to go remove it."

"Very well Harry. Do you remember where you left it?"

"Yes sir." Harry then told the Headmaster the name of the street he had last seen his creature.

"I need to make some floo calls," the Headmaster said. "I will have some Order members meet us there. We can be on our way in about a half hour."

"Thank you sir." Replied Harry. "The sooner the better." Dumbledore just nodded his head and swept out of the room. Once the headmaster was gone, Harry turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, do you know where my wand and sword are? I don't really want to go outside without them."

"They're back in your room, Harry." Said Hermione. "We put them in the first compartment of your trunk. Do you need me to go get them?"

"Would you?" Harry asked. "The security measure on the trunk won't allow me to summon things out of it and I really don't want to go back up those stairs. And how did you get into my trunk?"

"You had your keys in your pocket when you stumbled in," she replied as she dashed up the stairs, leaving the young man alone with Hermione's family. Harry stood there; the silence that had descended upon the room was tad awkward. 'Think, Potter, your best friend's family is sitting in this room, most likely waiting for you to do something.'

"So, um," he said hesitantly, "how has your stay here?" Apparently the others had felt the awkwardness and were all too happy to have the silence broken.

"It's been wonderful Harry." Mrs. Granger said. "Thank you for allowing us to use your house." With that, Harry looked around the room, now really noticing the dark walls and god-awful pink carpeting.

"You're too kind Mrs. Granger." He said, now glancing at the old furniture. "But you can be honest. I think it is fairly obvious that this place really needs to be renovated." 'And get that carpet replaced' he added under his breath. Anne Granger was rescued from responding when Hermione walked back into the room, sword and wand in hand. Harry took his weapons from Hermione, placing his wand in his pocket and strapped his sword around his waist.

"Thanks, Hermione. Did you get my knife, too?" At this Hermione gave him a look he didn't quite understand.

"You didn't say that you needed your knife Harry." She responded. "But," she said as she pulled the blade from her back pocket, "I did think ahead and thought that you might appreciate it."

Harry reached to grab but Hermione quickly pulled it away from his grasp.

"Don't I get a thank you, Harry?" She said, still giving him that look. The more he looked at her; it seemed to him that she was almost calculating. Mentally Harry shook his head. Hermione could be persistent, downright bossy, and maybe even devious but very rarely was she calculating, at least not in the way she was being right now.

"I'm sorry Hermione." Harry replied sincerely. "Thank you your getting my things for me, especially my knife since I forgot to ask you for it."

"That's better." She replied, allowing her lips to form a smile as she handed him the blade. Hermione had seemed a bit off ever since he had met her here at Headquarters (not that he had thought it that strange, since he had only been awake for a few hours), though now he understood what had been off about her. He knew he could have used his legilmency to figure out what was going on with her specifically, but he had decided long ago not to use it unless it was necessary. After dealing with Snape, he had come to feel that it was a sort of invasion of privacy to use it just because he wanted too. Besides, he trusted Hermione to always look out for his best interests. She had never given him reason not to.

The two of them chatted for a few minutes with Hermione's family, a discussion which mostly consisted of Harry confirming or clearing up the stories Hermione had told them. Harry was definitely beginning to get uncomfortable with all the attention that was being given to him and was finally freed from the conversation when Dumbledore returned.

"Well Harry my boy, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore addressed the two teens, "shall we go?" Harry merely nodded his head to acknowledge that indeed he was ready. Dumbledore held out an old newspaper for them to grab. Harry was about to grab it when Anne Granger spoke up.

"Mr. Dumbledore sir! Do you think I could come with you? I take it that since you are bringing Hermione with you that it is not dangerous where you are going. Hermione has told me so much about Portkeys and I think it would a lovely learning experience, now that I am not trying to flee my home or anything." The woman sounded excited at the prospect of experiencing magic again. Dumbledore looked at Harry, who met the old mans eyes and projected his thoughts on the matter to the elder man, who then nodded in understanding.

"I am afraid Ms. Granger that you need to remain here for securities sake." The woman's face dropped at this, though she nodded in understanding. Seeing as how none of the other muggles were going to ask, the two wizards and the young witch grabbed the newspaper and Dumbledore counted down.

"Three, two, one."

Harry felt the now familiar tug behind his navel, as he was whisked away to a muggle neighborhood not too far from Privet Drive. He landed shakily, having to once again grab onto Hermione for support. After Harry had regained his balance, with Hermione's help, he looked around. They were currently in a cluster of trees in a park that he did not recognize.

"Where are we?" Harry said. "I don't recognize this place."

"This, Harry, is a park near the location you gave us." Dumbledore explained. "We merely came here so that our arrival wouldn't been noticed by the muggles." Harry thought the point would be moot if the muggles had found Ted before he did, though he felt it best not to voice this concern. 'I'm sure Dumbledore must have thought of that,' Harry thought 'he usually catches most things.'

"What do we do now sir?" Hermione asked, addressing Dumbledore.

"Well, Ms. Granger," the aging man responded, "we wait for the Order members to report in, and then it's up to Harry." Both Harry and Hermione nodded their head.

Looking around, Harry found a bench bathed in sunlight and took a seat. The weather was much more pleasant than the one of the attack. The temperature was still a bit cool for being the middle of summer and though the sun was shining high in the sky at that moment, there was still a significant number of clouds in the sky. He closed his eyes and lay back, enjoying the warmth of the sun, something he hadn't experienced in quite a few months.

Hermione stood back and watching him enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting out in the sun. Only now, as she watched his face relax as he basked in the warm rays of light, did she truly appreciate how much Harry had sacrificed in his life for the rest of the world. He had no childhood to speak of, having to remain at the Dursley's for protection ('not that it did him any good in the end,' she thought bitterly.), his entire family had been killed, and now he was expected to stop one of the most powerful dark lords in the history of the wizarding world. A sudden popping sound brought her out of her musings as Order members arrived.

"Sir," Tonks, who was one of the Order members out searching for Ted, said, addressing Dumbledore. "We haven't found anything out of the ordinary and the muggles we talked to haven't said anything."

Dumbledore just nodded his head, a thoughtful look on his face. He seemed to consider something for a few moments before turning to Harry, who was still reclining on the bench, blissfully unaware of the people around him.

"Harry." Albus said gently, as if he was almost afraid of disturbing the young man.

"What sir?" Harry grunted out, not bothering to get up or open his eyes.

"How long can your creatures last?"

"I tested them for up to a month in one of my spare rooms, but had to remove it because I needed the space for another project." Harry fell silent for a moment before continuing. "I was a bit distracted when I created it, so this one might not last as long. So sir, the only answer I can give to your question is that I don't know."

"Harry!" Hermione spoke up, in her 'that's not possible voice,' the voice Harry recognized every time Hermione had to point out things like apparation being impossible in Hogwarts . "That's impossible. Magical creations can't last that long. It's a physical impossibility. Magical energy eventually leaves magically created objects, making them disappear."

"Well Hermione, then perhaps you should re-define your rules. Besides, I don't know what it is exactly anyway." By now Harry had opened his eyes and was looking at Hermione. In the background there was the popping sound of someone apparating, but neither Harry or Hermione paid it any attention. She raised her eyebrows at him when he said he didn't know what they were.

"How can you not know what it is?" Hermione asked, starting to sound flustered. "You created it, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, I did create it, but it is odd, really." Harry replied. "I mean, it's not exactly a natural animal, is it? It wasn't even created in what would be considered 'normal' transfiguration procedure. I was planning on looking into it when I got back to Hogwarts."

"As interesting as this is Harry," Albus said, interrupting the two, "from what you have said, we could easily assume that it is still in existence and thus needs to be taken care of."

"Of course sir, I'll get right on it." With that, laid back onto the bench and closed his eyes, not noticing the vexed looks on the others faces.

"Umm, Harry, what are you doing?" Apparently it had been Remus who had apparated in when Harry had been talking to Hermione. Harry sighed mentally. 'Remus' he thought in frustration, 'you're a good man, but right now leave me alone.' However, when he spoke, he voiced none of his frustrations.

"I need to try and 'sense' him Remus. After spending so much time to myself, I have come to identify my own magic and, seeing as how Ted is a magical creation of mine, I find that if I concentrate hard enough, I can feel his presence. And no, I don't need to be standing up to do it." With that said, Harry blocked everything from his conscious except for his magic. He felt his magic flow out of him and spread out like a thing net into the surrounding area. Unlike when he had done this during the attack at Privet Drive, he had no idea where Ted was so he had to spread out his search in a larger and wider area. Had Harry been looking at those around him (which included, Tonks, Remus, Hermione, and two others that Harry didn't recognize), he would have seen surprise and awe in their eye's as they felt his energy lightly wash over them, like a warm breeze. The only one who didn't seem surprised was Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling merrily at the unintentional display of power.

After a few more moments, Harry's magic receded back into him and he opened his eyes. He was a bit surprised when he saw all of the shocked faces looking at him.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing Harry." Hermione said, being the first one to recover. "So, did you find him?" Harry gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe that it was 'nothing,' but he had a job to do.

"Well, I know what direction it is, and that it is stationary." Harry said. "So, if you will follow me, I shall lead you to it." With that, Harry grasped his walking cane firmly and hoisted himself off the bench before he started hobling deeper into the park. The rest of them watched him for a moment before shaking themselves out of their stupor and quickly caught up with him. They would walk for a few dozen yards before Harry would stop and focus again before they would continue on. Hermione walked at Harry's side just in case he should loose his balance again. Harry, who felt his pride had been damaged by the fact that he had almost fallen twice that morning plus he hadn't noticed Dumbledore sneak into the kitchen when he was cooking, was putting out extra effort so as to maintain his strong image.

He soon learned that the park they had taken the port-key into was either quite large or was at the edge of the town, for it seemed that there was no end to it. It took them almost fifteen minutes before they finally reached a river. At the edge of the water, Harry once again stopped and focused. When he opened his eyes, there was a mixture of surprise and pride in his face.

"Well Harry," Dumbledore said, seeing as that Harry apparently had not intention of continuing on with their little trek, "I would assume you have found Ted?"

"That I have sir." Harry replied. "And he is a hell of a lot smarter than I gave him credit for." He said the last part quietly, but was still heard by all. "Do we have some non-detection charms we can put on the area? I doubt we want any muggles that stumble upon us." Remus and Dumbledore nodded their heads and went to work. Meanwhile, Hermione approached Harry.

"You didn't study those charms?" At Harry's confused look, she clarified, "non-detection wards, anti-muggle charms?' She asked Harry quietly as she stood next to him.

"No." He replied. "I really hit the basics of attack and defense, plus some personal stealth charms and the like and whatever came up as needed. Didn't have much time for anything else." Hermione huffed a little at what Harry considered 'basic' defense, but nodded in acknowledgement and said nothing more.

It was only a few moments later that the two men had stopped waving their wands and had nodded at Harry, indicating that they were done. Harry returned the gesture and turned to face the small group of witches and wizards, a slight grin gracing his face. Now that he knew where Ted was, he could focus on it and give it specific commands. He heard the water ripple behind him and his grin grew as he watched the looks of surprise and horror come spread across the assembled Order members (except Albus of course). He continued standing there until he felt his creature standing right behind him.

"This, Hermione, Remus, and the rest of you lot, is Ted. The Headmaster has already been introduced." Harry said as he gestured behind him to the creature that he knew was towering over him. "He was my back-up during the attack. You can probably guess why he was so effective."

"H-Harry," Remus stuttered, "is that thing dangerous?"

"Not at all Remus. He, well I should call it _it_ to be more precise, has a very limited intelligence, but an intelligence none the less. I can assign it specific tasks and it seems pretty capable. In fact," he said, gazing behind him at the creature with something akin to pride on his face, "I'm surprised that it thought to hide in the river. All I told it was to stay away from the muggles."

"You said that you transfigured him." Hermione, who had apparently gotten over her fear once she realized that, unlike Hagrid's dangerous creatures, this one was under complete control. "What did you use as a base object?"

"Oh, here, let me show you." Harry replied as he dug around in his pockets, eventually pulling out a small pouch. He opened it and pulled out one of the glass marbles he used for transfiguration. "These were Dudley's, but since he wasn't using them, I found a use for them."

"Umm, Harry?" It was Tonks now who now spoke up. "You are aware that creating new creatures is a violation of the laws governing illegal magical breeding, aren't you?"

"Well, um, actually, no." Harry said, looking directly at Tonks. "Besides, I don't even know if it is alive." Tonks, Hermione, Remus, and the other two Order members, both of whom seemed ready to flee at the first sign of aggression from the imposing creature that stood before them, all diverted their attention away from Ted and looked at him with an air of incredulity.

"What do you mean it might not be alive?" Remus asked. Harry was about to respond when Hermione responded first.

"It's like a golem, isn't it?" Hermione said, taking a large breath before continuing. "It's really just a bunch of magically animated mass working in conjunction with a magically induced intelligence! Its absolutely brilliant Harry!" With that, Hermione gave Harry one of her bear hugs as congratulations, knocking the breath out of him as she put pressure on his still sore body.

"Uhh, thanks Hermione." Harry said, trying to catch his breath while in her vice-like grip. He looked up at Remus and mouthed 'Did you understand a word she said?' Remus just shook his head in the negative, apparently still trying to sort through everything the young woman said. Hermione released Harry and stepped past him to examine the magical construct.

"This is amazing Harry." Hermione said as she approached the flank of the creature. Even in her excitement, Hermione was still unwilling to stand directly in front of the creature's mouth. She placed a hand on the hard carapace. "Is he spell resilient?" she asked.

"I think so, as that was our intention when we created him." Harry responded.

"What do you mean 'we'?" one of the other Order members asked. "We were under the assumption you had been working alone."

"Oh, yeah, that was the other Harry's I had worked with." Harry said idly while the Order members looked at him as if he were insane. "Anyway, it seemed to get through the battle okay, though he is looking a little chipped…" Harry trailed off as he struck upon an idea. "Hermione, would you mind stepping away from it?" Hermione complied and moved away from the creature. Harry also backed up and, everyone else seeing him do so, followed his lead.

"Harry my boy," Dumbledore said with curiosity, "what are you planning?"

"A test sir." He replied simply and drew his sword.

"What type of test?" Hermione asked, a little concerned that Harry had drawn his weapon.

"This type." With that said, he gave the creature the command to walk slowly towards him slowly. He raised his blade and pointed it at Ted.

'_Avada Kedavra!'_

No one had time to protest as a bolt of green energy leapt from the blade and slammed right into Ted's torso. Small chips of the creature's carapace flew through the air, causing everyone to turn away. When they turned back, what they saw surprised them. There stood Ted, still moving slowly towards Harry, who still had his sword pointed at the creature. Harry then commanded it to stop, and ignoring the looks of surprise that were pointed in his direction (whether because he had used an unforgivable or because Ted was still standing, he wasn't sure), approached the creature and began to examine the point of impact. A rather large chunk had been blown out of the construct's torso, but he had missed its appendages so it was still standing.

"Well," he said more to himself than to the others, "I guess that solves the question if it is a living creature. It still works, so it must not be." He examined the damage some more, and could not help but feel a little sad at damaging Ted like that. He comforted himself by reminding himself that Ted couldn't feel pain and that he wasn't even living, but the sentimental part of him couldn't help but remember how the creature had really come through for him earlier.

Meanwhile, the sound of Harry's voice brought everyone out of his or her stupor, and it was Remus who spoke up first.

"Harry! What the hell do you think you are doing, casting an unforgivable like that! In front of an Auror no less!" Remus practically screamed at him while gesturing to Tonks. "If you were anybody else and she was anyone else, you would be arrested right now! How can you be so foolish!" Harry just stood there, letting Remus rant. As soon as the werewolf took a breath to continue his tirade, Harry butted in.

"Are you finished yet, Remus?" Harry said in a very bored tone. "I have read the laws, and the curse is only illegal if cast on another living human. Since Ted here is neither human nor living, I have broken no laws." This shut Remus up as he realized what Harry had said.

"It's not alive?" He asked Harry, who merely tip his head to confirm the statement. Remus looked between the creature and its creator. "D-does it still work then?"

Harry smiled and gave it a mental command. One of Ted's tentacles whipped out away from its body and grabbed Remus around the waist and lifted him off the ground.

"Does this answer your question Remus?" Remus just nodded and Harry threw the old werewolf a cheeky grin and turned his attention back to the others. Harry took this moment to look at the reaction of the others. Tonks was actually starting to look amused at Remus's plight, Dumbledore also seemed highly amused, while the other two Order members still had that look of fear in their eyes, though now Harry suspected some of that fear was directed at him now instead of at Ted. Hermione, however, kept her face neutral and wouldn't meet his eyes. 'Bloody hell,' he thought, 'of all the people who shouldn't jud… well, that's not important. I should probably talk to her.' With that in mind he walked over to his best friend.

"Look Hermione," he said, facing the other teen, "I know what you are thinking." Despite her discomfort at the situation, she couldn't help but look at him like he had three heads. "Alright," he conceded, "I probably don't know exactly what you are thinking, but I have a good idea. You are concerned that I, by demonstrating my use of an unforgivable, am turning evil, no?" Hermione didn't respond, so he continued. "You are also probably concerned that I may have killed someone already using an unforgivable. Am I getting close yet?" With that, Hermione looked up at him, her eyes sad.

"What concerns me Harry," she said, her voice sounding hurt, "is that you are even capable of casting such a curse. I've read about the unforgivables and I know what kind of emotion you need to have to use it." Harry looked at her, comprehension dawning on him as he realized that, as much as Hermione knew about, well, everything; her knowledge was still bound to the contents of the texts she read. A smile crept its way back onto his face, confusing Hermione.

"Hermione," Harry said, "first of all, let me thank you for showing concern, but really, the killing curse is nothing to be concerned about." At this she looked at him flabbergasted. "You see Hermione," he continued, placing an arm around her shoulders and talking to her as if he was explaining some great fact of life to a younger person, "when you actually read on the practical applications of the unforgivables, you find that the killing curse is really the easiest of them all. All you need is the desire to kill, which" he held up a finger from his free hand to silence her, "which is not inherently evil. The necessity of killing warrants the desire to kill, even if that desire is only to get the filthy business out of the way. The ones you really need to be concerned about are the Imperious and the Cruciatus. However, take great heart in the fact that I am currently incapable of casting the other two. And before you ask, no, I did not even try to cast them over the summer, though I did study how to do so. Now," he took his arm from her shoulder and faced her directly. "Do you feel better or do we need to discuss this more?"

"Well," she said, her voice not so sad anymore, but still cautious, "I still think we need to talk about a few things, this being one of them, but it is nice to know that you are incapable of using the other two. Speaking of which, how do you truly know you are incapable of using the other two curses, not that I am complaining or anything?"

"Oh!" Harry was caught a bit off guard by that last question. "Well, I have studied how to cast them and know I do not have those emotions in strong enough quantities, and you see Hermione, I, uh, sortatriedtouseone before."

"Excuse me Harry?" she said, indignation now replacing her concern and worry. "Did you just tell me you tried to use an unforgivable on someone?" As strong and as powerful as Harry was, he knew Hermione could be as formidable in a rage as he was and knew he did not want to push her right now. 'Seems to be the my motto for the day,' he thought wryly, 'don't antagonize Hermione.' He was still thinking about how he was going to respond when Hermione's voice penetrated his thoughts.

"You know what Harry, lets not discuss this right now." She said in a tone that gave no illusions that this discussion was over. "Ill just add it to the list of things you need to explain when we get back to Headquarters." Harry just nodded in acceptance, thanking whatever deity there was that he had dodged that bullet for now.

Together, the two of them headed back to the rest of the group, who had given the two teens space to work things out. Harry flicked his wand, dispelling Ted and inadvertently dropping poor Remus, who Harry had forgotten was still being held by Ted, to the ground.

"Well sir," Harry said, addressing Dumbledore, "jobs done. Lets head back." The old man gave him a nod and pulled out the old newspaper and the three who had used it get there grabbed a hold of it again and were soon back at Grimmauld Place as the other Order members apparated away.

They had arrived just in time for lunch, which was being prepared by both Dobby and Winky. Harry left Hermione to talk with her family while he walked into the kitchen.

"Master Potter sir!" Dobby squealed, grabbing Harry's legs in a hug. "I was not aware that Harry Potter sir was awake, as Dobby has been very busy cleaning! Dobby is a very bad house elf for not checking on Master Potter." With that, Dobby began to bash his own head against the kitchen table. Harry was almost inclined to let him continue, but he quickly discarded that idea knowing that Dobby wouldn't stop unless he told the elf to.

"Dobby, stop it." Harry said, sounded frustrated with the houself's antics, as he grabbed Dobby around the shoulders and preventing the small creature from harming himself further. "As long as you are under my employ, which as far as I know, you still are, you will not punish yourself. Is that understood Dobby?"

"Yes Master Harry Potter sir," the elf said morosely. "Dobby understands."

"Then all's well then!" Harry said happily, trying to cheer Dobby up. "So, you said you have been cleaning. I take it then, that you or Winky are responsible for the new carpeting?"

"Oh yes sir Harry Potter sir!" Dobby replied, quite happy that Harry wasn't going to berate him. "Winky chose the color. Does Harry Potter sir like it?" At this, Harry glanced over at Winky who was still cooking, though he could tell from her ears that she was listening in on the conversation, if his dialogue with Dobby could be called that. Of course, this brought up a moral dilemma. He absolutely hated the carpet, but he also knew that Winky wasn't the most mentally and emotionally stable elf out there, and any criticism would probably send her into a fit of depression. Mentally sighing, he decided that a small lie was probably better than the truth.

"It's nice, really." He said neutrally, trying to sound cheerful, but failing miserably. Luckily, neither of the two house elves seemed to take notice. "Of course, anything is better than that ratty old carpet that was in here before," he continued as he heard the kitchen door open.

"Kreacher was a bad elf," Dobby quickly responded, his happy demeanor now replaced with anger, something Harry was unaccustomed to seeing in his small, insane friend. "He did not take care of his house properly and betrayed his master!"

"And luckily we don't have to deal with him ever again," a tired voice said behind them.

"You should be careful Harry," he responded, sounding slightly amused. "Moody would like nothing better than to catch you off guard. Seems that after your little run in with the Death Eaters, he feels you may be a worthwhile opponent." Inwardly, Harry slightly cringed at the mentioning of the attack on Privet Drive ('Though,' he thought, 'it really should be considered a slaughter.'). Though his mental training had allowed him to move his feelings of the matter out of the way so that he could analyze them later, allowing him to concentrate on the here and now' he could not help but feel a little sadness when he was reminded of the number of people who had lost their lives that evening. Outwardly, though, he did not flinch. He was also surprised that Remus would speak of it so lightly, though he figured Dumbledore must have talked to the rest of the Order not to treat him like glass so as to facilitate his emotional healing. Or something like that.

"Well, unlike you Remus," Harry replied, matching Remus's jovial tone, "Moody has that clunking wooden leg of his to warn me of his presence. Besides, you people need to give me a break! I'm wounded here."

"Too true Harry, but you know Mad Eye doesn't like excuses," the other man replied with a chuckle.

The young man and the werewolf chatted idly for a few minutes until Hermione and her family sat down with them for lunch, along with various other Order members who had stopped by. Dumbledore was not in attendance, as he had to go take care of some business at the ministry. The topics of conversation were varied, though none of them caught Harry's attention. The meal was just finishing up when two owls flew through the window, dropping off two thick envelopes on the table.

"Oh!" Hermione practically squealed as she grabbed the envelopes, "I think they might be our OWL results!" She handed Harry the envelope addressed to him, and upon inspecting the envelope, he figured Hermione was probably right. "Come on Harry, let's open them at the same time."

"Do we have to open them now Hermione?" he asked as he looked at his envelope disdainfully. "I mean, if I did poorly, I don't want to be opening this" he shook the envelope to accent his speech, "in front of everybody."

"Oh come on Harry, I doubt they are as bad as you think." Hermione said impatiently. "I'm sure you did fine. I figure you would have to know what you are doing, considering all that you have done this summer."

"Yeah, _this summer_, which happened to be after the bloody tests." He grumbled. Hermione, however, was merely staring at him, as if willing him to open his test results with just her eyes. "Fine!" He said, throwing his arms up dramatically, "I'll open the stupid envelope." With that, he broke the Hogwarts seal and pulled out the sheets of parchment. There were four sheets in the envelope. One was a list of classes he was allowed to take, another was a letter describing his options, the third was a general letter to all students and parents trying to reassure them of the security and safety of Hogwarts. The last sheet of parchment was what Hermione, and thus Harry, was really interested in; their test scores. Tossing the other three aside, he unfolded his score sheet.

OWL SCORES FOR HARRY JAMES POTTER

Grading Key: (Final score rounded up)

O: Outstanding - 2

E: Exceeds Expectations – 1 ½

A: Average - 1

P: Poor – ½

D: Dreadful - 0

Astronomy:

Written: A

Practical: P

Total OWLs: 1 (A)

Care of Magical Creatures:

Practical: O

Total: 2 (O)

Charms:

Written: E

Practical: O

Total: 1.5 (E)

Defense Against the Dark Arts:

Written: O

Practical: O

Total: 2 (E)

Divination:

Practical: D

Total: 0 (D)

Herbology:

Practical: A

Total: 1 (A)

History of Magic:

Written: P

Total: .5 (P)

Potions:

Written: E

Practical: E

Total: 1.5 (E)

Transfiguration:

Written: E

Practical: E

Total: 1.5 (E)

TOTAL OWLS EARNED: 11 OWLS

_Congratulations Mr. Potter on your eleven OWLS. You now need to fill out what classes you plan on taking this upcoming year. You must choose at least three of the NEWT level classes that you qualify for and you may take up to two new electives. The electives offered this year at Hogwarts are: _

_**The Art of Enchanting**, which focuses on enchanting everything from portraits to brooms. **Magical Theory**, a course on the development of magic through the ages and the various theories on the very nature of magic._

_**Wizarding Law** gives students an in-depth look at laws and policies of the Ministry of Magic._

_Please reply with your class selections post-haste._

_Sincerely,_

_Minevra McGonagall_

_Deputy Hedmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

He though he heard Hermione yell in excitement, but he couldn't be sure. All his attention was focused on the bottom of the sheet. 11 OWLS. He was actually quite proud of his scores. True, he absolutely failed divination and Astronomy wasn't that great, but he was happy none the less. After reading through his scores again, he handed his sheet off to Hermione as she handed hers to his. Hermione had, of course, done much better than him, getting O's is pretty much every thing except for the E in her Astronomy practical and an E in Ancient Runes.

"Wow Hermione, you really do know what you are doing, don't you?" He said in awe as he handed Hermione her score sheet back. She blushed slightly at the compliment given in front of a room full of people.

"Well you didn't do so bad yourself Harry." She replied proudly. "11 OWLS is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Eleven Harry?" Remus said, joining in the conversation. "That is quite impressive."

"Thanks Remus. Didn't get an Outstanding in potions though, which means no more Snape!"

"Harry, I thought you wanted to be an Auror?" Hermione asked. "You need potions for that."

"The thing is Hermione, I'm not so sure an Auror position is right for me. As an Auror, I have to follow the orders of the Ministry, who, at this moment, I can't see any reason why I would want to be associated with them." Harry took a stab at his food with his fork before continuing. "Besides, after everything is said and done, I don't really know if I want to keep fighting dark wizards, at least, not in any official capacity."

"Then what do you plan on doing Harry?" Remus chimed in, curious at Harry's change in plans.

"Well," Harry replied thoughtfully, "I was thinking of trying to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. I could also do some freelance work, like Lockhart, except not be a charlatan. Probably wouldn't write books either." Remus and Hermione merely raised their eyebrows at this but held their tongues. They sat their silence for a few moments before Harry began speaking again.

"I wonder what Ron got?" He then addressed his question specifically to Remus. "Um Remus, do the Weaselys know about the attacks?"

"Arthur does, and I think Bill and Charlie do also," the werewolf responded. "It was decided, after consulting Arthur, that it would be best if we were not to tell Molly just yet."

"Why?"

"Come on Harry, I'm sure you can figure that out." Remus replied. "After all, you did get eleven OWLS," he finished teasingly. Harry was quiet for a moment, staring at a point on the table as his mind rushed through all his memories of the Weaselys.

"She is on an Order mission and she is also a bit too protective of me." He said as he raised his eyes to meet Remus's. "You don't want her to lose focus of her mission, since she would most likely insist on coming back here to make sure I am alright. However, do Ron and Ginny know?"

"No they do not. It was decided that if Ronald knew, he would most likely tell Molly, and we could not have that, now could we? Arthur decided not to inform Ginevra merely because there is no reason for her to know." All heads turned to the origin of the new voice, only to see Albus Dumbledore standing there in the doorway. Just like he had in the morning when Harry had been cooking breakfast. This annoyed Harry only slightly.

"Tell me headmaster," Harry said in a sickly sweet voice that was reminiscent of Umbridge. "Do you go out of your way to try and make these dramatic entrances? Because really, that is the third time today, that I am aware of. People might get the impression that you are trying too hard."

"Well you see Harry," the old man responded in a slightly patronizing tone, though there was an underlining hint of humor to it, "as people seem to be under the impression of me being the most powerful wizard of our time, there are certain things that are expected of me, certain behaviors, to be more precise."

"In other words, you feel it is your duty to make a grand entrance because of your position." Harry replied in the same, sweet voice. "So tell me, when you do it here, are you practicing or do you really think we are impressed? By the way, didn't you have business at the ministry to take care of?"

"Yes," was all Dumbledore said as he sat down at the table and began helping himself to the food that was there, a small smile hidden under his long beard. Harry wanted to ask whether that was 'yes' to all the questions he asked, or if it was just for the one about his duties at the ministry. Either way, Harry knew he wouldn't get anything more out of the Headmaster if the old man had decided he wanted to be vague. Ignoring all the amused grins sported by the adults in the room, Harry turned his attention back to his letters, though his thoughts were on the Weaselys at that moment.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy about the red headed family's return. He sometimes had a hard time reading them, and he was unsure how they would react to the news of the attacks. On the one hand, they might accept his actions and merely be concerned about his health. On the other hand, they may shun him for having killed so many people. He felt that second probability was unlikely, considering the reactions of everyone else. The one thing he was certain of was that Molly Weasley would not be happy. He knew the Weasley matron practically considered him one of her sons and would no doubt be in a right state when she found out he had been attacked and she had not been notified. 'I would hate to be Mr. Weasley when Molly finds out,' Harry thought with slight amusement. So lost in his thoughts he didn't realize Hermione was trying to talk to him until he felt something prodding him in the shoulder. He looked up to find Hermione leaning across the table with her wand outstretched, which would explain the prodding feeling.

"Sorry Hermione," he said a bit sheepishly. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying Harry," Hermione replied, sounding a bit annoyed at being ignored, "that you need to decide what classes you will be taking next year."

"Oh, well that's pretty simple, isn't it?" Harry said nonchalantly. "DADA, charms, transfiguration. Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures. I'll probably also take The Art of Enchanting. Tack onto that my private studies and the DA, and I have a pretty full schedule."

"Are you not going to play Quidditch Harry?" Remus asked. "I thought you loved playing?"

"I do Remus, but as Dumbledore here," at this Harry gestured to the Headmaster who was silently listening to the conversations around the table, "has informed me recently, I have other more important things that I need to do. Basically, I had to sort out my priorities and Quidditch got bumped off of my list of things to do."

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke up, "you said that you were planning on starting up the DA again. Perhaps you would be interested in making it an official club?"

"No I wouldn't Headmaster." Harry replied quickly. "While I won't have the inquisitorial squad tracking me down, I would prefer to keep the organization low key, which is something I can't do if it is announced as a club. I also want to keep membership selective."

"I understand Harry, but what about the other students? Surely they should be taught to defend themselves also?"

"Then have your Defense teacher start a dueling club," Harry said. "I will be trying to recruit more members for the DA, but the more people that join, the less one-on-one help I can give."

"I may be missing something here," John Granger piped it, "but it sounds more like you are recruiting for an army than for a club, what with all the talk of secrecy, selective membership, and advanced defense." Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore shared a knowing grin before breaking out in laughter, utterly confusing poor Mr. Granger an consequently the rest of Hermione's family. It took a few moments for them to compose themselves, and Hermione being the first, proceeded to explain the DA to her father.

"Actually dad, it is sort of an army. Last year the ministry was being paranoid that the Headmaster was trying to usurp the Ministries power, and thus stuck us with an ineffective teacher. Remember me telling you about Umbridge?" John Granger merely nodded his head to indicate that he did indeed remember Hermione's stories about the woman. "Well, me, Harry, and Ron started the DA to not only teach the other students, but also as a sort of act of defiance against the Ministry."

They spent the rest of lunch discussing the DA and Harry's plans for it. The group eventually dispersed and Harry headed up to his room. Hermione had made to follow him but he told her that he was planning on taking a nap, saying something about how the mornings activities had tired him out. However, after having two full meals and getting plenty of sleep, he was far from ready to sleep. As soon as he got to his room he locked the door with a half a dozen locking charms and put up a silencing charm. Hobbling over to his trunk, he unlocked it and opened it to one of the compartments he stored his books in.

He sifted through about a dozen of them until he found one on healing. He was tired of having to lean on a cane and was impatient in allowing his now pseudo-natural healing ability deal with it. Finding the book he was looking for, he began skimming it for diagnosis charms and their accompanied healing spells. He had not spent much time with healing spells, seeing as how he usually didn't need them during his training.

After finding what he was looking for, he cast a diagnosis charm on his leg, taking care to memorize the feel of the magic so he could do it later on. Once the charm was complete, his leg was enveloped in brown and blue light. Referring back to the test, he found that to mean that he had some minor muscle and ligament damage, which was hardly surprising. He then found the relevant healing spells and putting more energy into them than Madame Pomfrey was even capable of, cast them on his leg. Immediately feeling better, he stood up and walked around the room. It took a few minutes for him to get adjusted to having full mobility of his leg back, but now he felt as good as new. He placed his healing book back and, grabbing a book on basic wards, went back to his bed to read until it was time for the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.

As he headed down the stairs later that evening to the kitchen he could hear the throng of Order members mingling in the entranceway to the house. Walking through the throng, which, surprisingly, parted for him, he made his way to the kitchen, where he was greeted by Dumbledore.

"Ah Harry, I was about to go send someone up to get you. Please, take a seat." With that, the old man gestured for Harry to sit next to him at the head of the table. "I think you will be able to stay for the entirety of the meeting, seeing as how we will mostly be discussing the events of three days ago and Voldemort's current plans." Harry merely indicated that he heard and sat down in the proffered seat. There was a pop as Dobby appeared and handed Harry a bottle of chilled butterbeer, which Harry gratefully took. Before the elf left, Harry quietly informed him that he would need his fourth meal again and that Dobby should try to do it quietly. Dobby happily agreed and told Harry he would go ahead and prepare the meal in the kitchen in his tent.

The minutes passed as the Order members made their way into the kitchen. Many of them threw Harry glances, some of them suspicious or cautious, while others showed nothing short of respect. The last one to enter was none other than Severus Snape. When he noticed Harry sitting at the table, he immediately sneered in his direction.

"Albus, what is Potter doing here?" the Hogwart's Potions Master all but spat out.

"Harry is here at my invitation," Dumbledore responded evenly.

"Potter is still an underage wizard and is still attending school," Snape responded. "You should not have made him an Order Member."

"I'm not a member, Snape," Harry responded tersely. Severus's eyes narrowed at this use of his last name without a title.

"Then you should not be attending the meetings!" He then turned his attention to Dumbledore. "Why is he here Albus?" Not giving Dumbledore a chance, Harry answered.

"It's simple really Snape, I am here because I should be here." At this Snape glared at Harry.

"Such impudence and arrogance, believing that you are above the rules, just like your father," Snape spat out. "Really Albus, the boy can't possibly be responsible enough to attend these meetings! Its bad enough that he got Black killed, now you want to let him in on war secrets? The boy is a failure at Occlumency and will in all likely hood will spill vital information to You-Know-Who!"

"I'll have you know a few things Snape," Harry replied in a quiet, deadly tone, "that one; I am not my father. Two, you and Draco need to come up with better insults because, damn, they are getting repetitive. And three, I have very right to be here because of my actions, unlike you who I have learned partook in the slaughter at Privet Drive and know only a little of what happened!" By this time Harry was getting riled up and his magic had started to flow. "You should also know that, without your useless help, I have gained more skill in mental defense than I have ever achieved under you pathetic tutelage!"

"Do not blame your failings and inability on me you incompetent child! I sacrificed my personal time to teach you. You, however, were an unwilling pupil and did not practice nor take seriously the skills I tried to pass onto you!"

"Don't give me that crap Snape! You used those lessons to satisfy your own twisted vendetta against a dead man! To say that you 'taught' me anything is a complete joke! One of these days you will open your eyes and realize that you are nothing but a bitter, pathetic excuse of a man who has no future except to die alone!"

"You ignorant, self-centered whelp!" the greasy haired man replied. "You have no idea the sacrifices _I_ have made for our side or the danger _I _put myself in as a spy. You are nothing but a spoiled little brat so absorbed in your own self-importance that you are unwilling to or unable to comprehend that the world and this war does not revolve around you!" Albus could see that neither Harry nor Severus were going to back down and that, if left to their own devices, it would come down to a fight, and Albus really didn't want to loose his spy. Sighing deeply, he spoke up.

"That is enough! Both of you!" as he said this, he glared at both Harry and Snape, as if daring them to contradict him. "You both are on the same side and thus must work together! Severus, if you can not help but to antagonize Harry, then you are to remain silent when speaking of him. Harry, please do not antagonize Professor Snape and, as I told the Professor, if you feel like speaking ill of him, do hold your tongue. We are here to get business done, not listen to you two bicker."

Both Harry and Severus broke the glares they were shooting at each other and only then seemed to realize that they had an audience. Harry cheeks turned red in embarrassment and he quickly sat down, muttering an apology. Snape merely gave Albus a glare before sitting down and crossing his arms in front of him. Both of them threw the other a look that clearly said 'this isn't over.'

"Very good. Now, onto the meeting." Dumbledore said, assuming a very business like tone. "Mr. Shacklebolt, what do you have to report?" With that Kingsley stood up and addressed the gathered witches and wizards.

"There is not much to report that I have not reported already. Two of the prisoners taken at Privet Drive have died from their injuries, bringing the Death Eater death toll up to fifteen, that we know of. We still have three prisoners alive, though they are relatively low ranking. We still are unsure about what killed five of them, something I hope Mr. Potter here," at this he gestured at Harry, "will be able to explain."

"Thank you Kingsley," replied Albus. "Severus, what do you have to report?" As he said this, Severus Snape stood up, radiating an air of self-importance.

"The Dark Lord is still furious over his defeat at Privet Drive. As I stated last time we gathered, he sent a little over thirty Death Eaters, myself included, to dispose of Potter and only half returned. To add insult to injury, Bellatrix Lestrange is crippled and another has died from his wounds. Currently the Dark Lord is having me brew potions to heal Lestrange, thought they will take at least a month to complete and her recovery will be a long one. He is still trying to figure out what that creature is that defended Potter was, as I am sure we all are." As he finished speaking, he directed his gaze to Harry before continuing. "He is also wondering how Potter gained so much power in such a short amount of time and will most likely expend some resources on that question. Again, something I am sure we would all like to know." He nodded his head to Dumbledore and sat down.

"Very well, thank you Severus. Now, before I have Harry report, I want to make it clear that he is not at liberty to answer your all of your questions. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded or spoke in agreement and Dumbledore indicated to Harry that he should start.

Harry gave his details of the attack, sparing the details of how he had killed the Death Eaters. He also gave a brief description of his magical construct Ted and how he used him to get out passed the wards set up by Voldemort. The rest of the Order remained quiet, listening to Harry speak, their silence only broken by the occasional gasp or the muttered 'oh my!' When he had finished, the rest of the room burst into noise.

Statements such as "Can you imagine the sort of planning that went into making those anti-portkey wards? And the necessary power!" or "So many dead!" or "How can he have achieved that? What happened to our wards?" and so on. Dumbledore let them talk among themselves for a few minutes before he brought the meeting back to order.

"Now that we know all the details of the events of that night, I trust you will all take steps to prevent such a thing from happening again. As it is, Voldemort is undoubtedly planning on new recruitment and will most likely stage another attack soon, so as to send a message that he is not weak. With such heavy losses, he will also began recruiting in earnest, most likely in other countries and also among the various magical beings that are regulated by the Ministry. After this meeting I want you all to go back to your posts and see what you can do about figuring out Voldemort's next move. I want you all to keep an eye out on those groups that are most likely to be approached by Voldemort. Try to get to them before he does. We will convene again in a few days to discuss this issue," Dumbledore said at length.

"Now, we have one more piece of new business to attend to before we end this meeting. As you are all aware, there was an attack on the muggle born student Hermione Granger and her family the same day as the attack on Privet Drive. Thanks to the quick response of some of our members, a disaster was averted and the Granger family remained un-injured. However, it has illustrated the weaknesses in their home's defenses. I will need to assemble a team to go and put up additional wards." Albus then looked at Harry. "Mr. Potter here has agreed to help power the wards and he has come up with some other security measures I wish him to put into place." Dumbledore looked around at the assembled witches and wizards. "I must stress the importance of keeping the Grangers safe and out of Voldemort's hands. We will be putting up the standard alarm wards, but as you are aware, many of the stronger wards are impractical for use sue to their effect on muggle technology. Between now and the next time we meet, I want you to think of any means we can use to protect the Granger family, no matter how unorthodox. Hopefully, we can adept whatever we do to other muggle-born homes." Dumbledore waited for everyone to indicate that they understood their task before he proceeded.

"Good. Now, is there any new business that you feel needs to be brought up or can we conclude this meeting?" When no one spoke up or raised their hand, Dumbledore continued. "Than this meeting is ended. You are all welcome to stay for dinner if you like. Dobby and Winky are fine cooks."

Harry sat there silently as most of the Order members filed out of the kitchen. Dobby and Winky soon began setting the table and the Granger family came in for dinner.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled out when she saw Harry sitting at the table. She had had watched the other members leave and had not seen Harry enter. "Did you sit in on the meeting? Does this mean you are part of the Order now? Why didn't you tell me? What was discussed? Did it have to do with the attack on you?" Harry just stared at her, amazed that she had said all that in one breath, and was saved from having to respond by Dumbledore.

"Worry not Ms. Granger," Albus replied serenely. "Harry is merely here as an outside consultant. He is, after all, too young to join the Order and is still a student."

"I see," the girl replied, giving both Harry and the Headmaster a shrewd look as she sat down at the table next to Harry.

The conversation at the table was light, until John Granger asked about their security.

"Mr. Dumbledore, when do you think it would be safe for us to return home? Its not that I don't appreciate your hospitality Harry, Mr. Lupin," John said quickly looking at Harry and Remus, "but I do miss my home, and I am sure the others would like to get back to their lives also."

"Don't worry sir," Harry replied warmly, "I understand completely." After all, he was always anxious to get to Hogwarts, a place he considered his home. "We have some more wards and other defenses to set up before you move in. From what I gathered tonight, you should be able to move back in a few days."

"What do you mean 'other defenses' Harry?" Hermione asked.

"You'll see Hermione." Harry said teasingly. "I still need to make sure I can pull it off before I make any guarantees." Everyone seemed to accept his answer and the conversation went back to less meaningful conversation. Harry excused himself early, claiming that he was full and headed back to his room. He had turned the lights down low and sat down on his bed, books strewn about him, preparing to begin his round-the-clock training again, this time to find unique ways to protect the Grangers. He had just picked up a book on basic warding when there was a knock at his door. Sighing to himself, he put the book down and waved his hand, opening the door.

Standing there was Hermione, who looked a bit put out at the door opening on its own, but otherwise, unaffected. She walked over to Harry's bed and, pushing some books out of the way, sat down on the other end facing Harry. Harry remained silent, waiting for her to speak, though he knew why she was here.

"I think it is time we had our little chat, Harry."

* * *


	13. I'm Not Evil

* * *

Chapter 13:

"I'm not evil"

* * *

"_I think it is time we had our little chat, Harry."_

"OK Hermione. Start whenever you're ready."

"Fine. First of all, I want to know what you know. Not to be rude or anything, but the Harry I knew before summer started couldn't create that thing you call Ted or cast a killing curse."

"Well, first let me correct you on the killing curse thing," he said in a professor-like tone, something he had learned while teaching the DA. "As you know, the killing curse requires a fair bit of power to cast successfully, along with the mental will to make it work, right?" Hermione merely nodded her head and Harry continued. "You are probably also aware that the Patronus is very difficult and not many adult wizards can cast one successfully. However, there are quite a few who can cast killing curses. So, really, it shouldn't be a surprise that I can do something like a killing curse."

"Harry, you're forgetting the mental component. The Patronus requires good memories to fuel it. Death Eaters, especially the really cruel ones in the inner circle, are not the type of people who can utilize those kinds of feelings."

"Well, that's not entirely true, its just harder for them, much like it is harder for us to summon up the required emotions and drive for a successful Advada Kedavra. I mean, I've never tried it or anything, but surely someone like Bellatrix can use their weird sadistic glee to power a Patronus. Emotions and intent seem to play a large role in the casting of spells."

"Well, I would argue with you about Lestrange's capacity to cast some spells, but I have to say that I am impressed, Harry," the young woman replied. "It's about time you or Ron finally started to understand some magical theory."

"Don't celebrate yet," he said warningly. "Just because I know the basics doesn't mean I will be able to debate the different theories with you anytime soon."

"Good," she replied smugly. "At least there are some things that I will know that you don't."

"You're more right than you know," Harry muttered. Hermione cocked her head to the side and looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean Harry? You seem to already know quite a bit about magic and from the sounds of it, your repertoire of spells has really improved. I suppose that brings me back to the second part of my question. What can you do?" At this Harry rested his chin in his hands and assumed a thoughtful look. Finally, he spoke.

"You want to know everything, Hermione?"

"Yes Harry, I do," she replied resolutely and perhaps a little excited.

"All right. I will answer all your questions, but I need you to do a few things for me first. Understood?" She looked at him curiously.

"What do you need me to do?"

"First, I want your Wizard's oath, or Witches I suppose would be the correct term, that you won't reveal anything I tell you to anyone else willingly, save maybe Dumbledore."

"What about Ron, Harry? I thought you told each other everything?"

"I do, normally, but I want to tell him myself. Besides, as much as I know him, he can be a tad unpredictable at times. He will either agree with everything I have done or he will think me completely evil, or he will think I'm evil and then realize that I'm not, and by then, he may have let some things slip."

"Why would he think you're evil?" Hermione was a bit perplexed, but she did have her suspicions. "Harry, what have you been up to?"

"I'll get to that. Now, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Yes, I give you my oath as a witch that I will not tell anyone, save Dumbledore, what you have done." With that, Harry felt a very small shift in the magic around him as the oath was sealed with magic.

"Thank you Hermione. The second request of mine is that you will try to remember that all I have done has been for the good of everyone and that, in the end, I am still Harry Potter and not some insane dark wizard."

"And if you are an insane dark wizard?"

"Then you'll be the first to know," he said with a slight smile. Turning serious again, he continued, "do you promise to hear me out and not jump to conclusions?"

"Of course Harry, though I doubt anything you show or tell me will come as a surprise anymore."

"Great. Now, I just have one more request, or more properly a requirement, that I must ask of you, if I could only find it…" with that, Harry started digging around the books on his bed. Not finding what he was looking for, he got off the bed, grabbed a set of keys that were on the nightstand, and started to rummage around in his trunk. It was almost a minute before he shouted in triumph and pulled himself away from the trunk. In his hand was a rather thick tome that appeared to be well read. Harry walked over to where Hermione was sitting and presented the book to her, which she quickly grabbed.

"I want you to read and practice the first five chapters of that book," he said as he took his seat back on his bed.

"_The Skills and Tactics of the Benandanti,_" Hermione said as she read the title before looking up at him slightly confused. "Why do you want me to read this?"

"Well you see, the Benandanti were a group of wizards in…"

"Yes, yes, Harry, I know who they were. I did pay attention in history of magic. But how is that relevant to me?"

"Well, besides being master at Legilimency, they also were quite skilled in a variety of mental defenses, including Occlumency. Dumbledore told you most of the prophecy, and I am about to tell you the rest and how I can do what I can do. While I know you won't tell anyone willingly, I can't take the risk of one of his unknown followers knowing legilmency and thus gathering that information from you."

"I understand about the Occlumency, but what are the other mental defenses you mentioned?"

"Before I say, you do agree to read and learn the Occlumency skills, right?"

"Of course I do!" she said indignantly. "Did you really think you could hand me this book and have me _not_ read it? Honestly, Harry!"

"Hey!" He said holding up his hands defensively, "I just had to be sure. As Moody always says, _Constant Vigilance!_ Well, the imposter always said that," he added as an after thought, "so I imagine the real Moody does repeat it frequently also."

"Enough chit chat Harry. I agreed to your terms, now spill!" She was looking positively gleeful at the prospect learning more knowledge. It was like a drug to the girl. "You mentioned earlier that you still didn't know as much as I do, so I want to know what you mean by that."

"Well, you seem to be under the impression that I have advanced greatly in my knowledge of spells, and I have," he said, cutting off the argument Hermione was about to make, "but really it is no more than what I should have learned over the past five years in school, had I been paying attention. Most of the advanced, non-combat spells that I know I only know because it became necessary for me to know during my training."

"How so, Harry?"

"Well, for example, expanding a room magically. My duplicates and me needed room to duel so we had to learn the charm. Or perhaps healing. At the very beginning of my self-training, I had to learn a few healing charms. And before you ask, I found a better substitute for self-healing later on. Now," he continued, "if you are talking about defensive magic and offensive spells that hurt and/or blow things up, than yeah, I know a bit more than your average student or adult."

"Interesting definition Harry, 'offensive spells that hurt'," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What other kinds are there?"

"Well, if you're going to be like that then I wont tell you anything," Harry replied firmly as he made to get up.

"No!" Hermione practically screeched, reaching out and grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving. "I mean, no," she repeated pleadingly, "I'm sorry, I won't be like that. Now please, continue."

"Thank you. Anyway, as I was saying, I said I learned offensive magic. What I didn't waste my time on were things like tickling charms and minor stinging hexes or basic stunners. As I told you earlier, our greatest weakness at the ministry was that when we hit them, they got back up again. Now, well, they better stay down when I get through them. Don't worry," he added, seeing the shocked look on her face, "they are not all fatal spells. In fact, most of them are only fatal if you use them in certain ways. Next question."

"You said you didn't advance too far in other fields of magic. What about Ted? That's some advanced transfiguration you did. Surely, you are more advanced than most when it comes to that branch of magic."

"You would think that, and I actually think I may have something equivalent to sixth, perhaps some seventh, year skills when it comes to transfiguring things, its still difficult. The problem lies in that, while Ted and creations like him are big and powerful, since they don't follow the rules of any real creature, things don't have to be exact when I make them. It would take me a while to, lets say, give my magical constructs wings that work. I have no idea how big the wings need to be, how they should be shaped, etc… The same goes for general transfiguration, especially when turning one animal into another. Granted the mental exercises I know make it easier, but it is still rather difficult. I can also say the same for the other branches of magic, though with charms I don't think I will have a problem."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding and looked like she was thinking of another question to ask. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just as quickly, a disgruntled look upon her face. Groaning in frustration, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She quickly unfolded and read it. She folded it back up and put it in her pocket.

"What can you do with your wandless abilities and how do you do it?" she said as if nothing happened.

"You wrote your questions down?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know me, I like to stay organized. Besides, I didn't know how much you would tell me or if you would limit the number of questions I could ask or how much time you would be willing to give, so I had to prioritize them. Now, please answer the question."

"Whatever you say Hermione," he shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I might as well start with how wandless abilities work. You performed accidental magic when you were younger, right?"

"Yes, almost every wizarding child, except squibs, shows signs of magical ability at a young age."

"Well, as you are aware, it usually happens in very emotional situations. The trick is to be able to control your emotions and, hopefully produce a magical reaction. Once you do that a few times, you start to get the feel of what using that magic feels like. Once you know what it feels like, you can concentrate on that feeling and reproduce it, in time. The problem is that every magical effect has a distinct feel to it. So, while it is possible, though extremely difficult and draining, to wandlessly will magic to do whatever you want, as in the case of accidental magic, it is far easier if you know what the feel of magic is for different spells. For this you need a wand."

"Let me guess! Once you know what you're looking for, you can feel the magic when using a wand as well!"

"Right in one, 'Mione. So the limitation with wandless magic, at least as far as I have discovered, is that you have to know the spell and have had to cast it already. Once you know how to feel the magic, you can do the same with your wand."

"If you can do it wandlessly," the bushy-haired girl asked, "why use a wand at all?"

"Well, for one thing, it is tiring to do things wandlessly for extended periods of time. For me, I could probably, being fully rested, perhaps go two or three days without a wand or maybe one prolonged fight, but beyond that, I can't do it. Secondly, anything that can be done wandlessly can be done with a wand, but not everything that is done with a wand can be done wandlessly, especially the high powered spells like the unforgivables or the Patronus. I have the book I got the theory from around here somewhere. I'll give it to you when I find it." She nodded and continued.

"You said that once you know the feel of a spell, you can usually do it wandlessly. Can you combine spell effects, like a tickling charm with a jelly legs jinx?"

"Perhaps, at least with spells that are that basic. I tried a stunner with a disarming spell, but it was too complex for me. I think that it may be possible, but I really don't know."

"I suppose that makes sense, Harry. I only have one more question, if you don't mind." Harry had a feeling what the last question was about, but he had promised to tell her everything, so that was what he was going to do. Besides, if he could get Hermione into his way of thinking, then it would be easier for both of them to convince Ron that he, Harry, wasn't going evil.

"Go ahead, Hermione, I told you that I would tell you everything."

"Well," she sounded surprisingly nervous, which surprised Harry as Hermione was usually not the nervous type. "Now, don't get mad if you haven't or anything, but, well, have been performing dark rituals?" Harry couldn't help but smirk at the slightly frightened look on her face. After all, after last years experience with him, she had every right to believe that he would be upset with her for accusing him of using so-called dark magic. 'Don't know what she's worried about though,' he thought, 'after all, we are already well aware of my familiarity with the killing curse.' He decided to play with her a little bit.

"Are you claiming that I, Harry Potter, the so-called golden boy of Gryffindor has stooped so low as to use dark rituals, is that it, Hermione?" he said in a very annoyed tone of voice. The girl looked very abashed at this and though Harry looked dead serious on the outside, he was cracking up on the inside. "I will have you know, Hermione Granger, that all the illegal rituals that I have performed were not dark!"

"I'm sorry Harry, I know it was foolish for me to ask, but I thought, what with Remus saying…. What?" Hermione stopped her apology midway as she finally processed what Harry had said. "So you have been performing rituals?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course!" he replied jovially, though his humorous mood didn't last very long.

"Harry James Potter! How could you? Do you know how dangerous that was, how irresponsible?" Harry couldn't tell what was worse, the anger that his friend was expressing or the deep underlying concern that he saw in her eyes. Right now Harry was feeling a little lost. Hermione was still ranting on about the dangers of power enhancing rituals with a focus on the damage Harry could have done to himself, working herself up till she was close to tears. Harry, as many are well aware, was terrible when it came to dealing with his or anyone else's emotions, especially when they came from a female, so Harry was quite naturally confused.

'Oh shit.' he thought dejectedly. 'Why does the person who can tell me what to do with people have to be the one who's upset? Damn, she doesn't look like is going to calm down. I really should do something. Right, but what. Well, I could use the rest of the prophecy to explain why I did what I did, but that might upset her more! Bah!' By now she seemed to be oblivious to Harry and was apparently ranting to herself. He was sure he heard her say something along the lines of 'why does he always have to be so reckless?' and 'that boy is absolutely hopeless at taking care of himself!' Harry stared at her, still at a loss as for what to do. Pulling himself together, he decided that now was a time for action, for after all, that was what he was best at.

"Um, Hermione? Its, um, it's okay. I'm fine," he said hesitantly, reaching over and placing a reluctant hand on her shoulder. At the contact Hermione seemed to have realized that Harry was still there. Upon seeing the absolutely lost look on his face, she seemed to regain some sense of composure and decided to take pity on the poor young man and save the lecture for later. Quickly composing herself, she turned to face Harry directly, noticing him flinch as she laid her eyes on him.

"You're not scared of me, are you, Harry?" she said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Just a little, Hermione. You're acting like a girl and you know how I am when it comes to girls."

"Oh come on Harry, we're not that bad. Besides, you faced down at least two dozen Death Eaters before, surely that must be more frightening than me?"

"Hey, with Death Eaters, they throw spells at me, and I do likewise to them. I don't think throwing hexes at you will improve the situation any. Besides!" he said suddenly. "You promised that you wouldn't go off on me about what I told you."

"I agreed to no such thing," she replied indignantly. "I only promised not to go jumping to the conclusion that you have turned evil or something. Speaking of which, you need to start explaining why I shouldn't go to Dumbledore and tell him that you have gone all evil on me."

"Well first of all, Dumbledore already knows. And if you must know, I only performed a few rituals, and they are very basic and dealt with imbuing magic into the body. There were no human sacrifices, as is quite common in many power enhancing and age-defying rituals. I also haven't pursued immortality or anything of the sort. I just gave myself a little boost." Harry suddenly looked at Hermione curiously. "How did you guess that I had performed a few rituals?"

"It was more of an inference than a guess really," she replied modestly, though Harry could tell she was proud of herself. "First of all, Remus had mentioned some of the components he had gotten you, many of which I knew only had uses in illegal potions, so that was a real give-away. Then there were these odd welts on your body that looked like runes when you first arrived here. I was going to just write those off as spell wounds, except I have never came across a spell that did that. There are also some physical changes, though subtle, which are still apparent. You are taller, more so than is natural for being gone for even half a year, and really, you're far too pale to be natural. While those can possibly be explained by the amount of time that you have spent using the time turner, which, by the way is also illegal, there are other things. Let's not forget that not once have you mentioned any sort of physical training yet you look perfectly healthy and fit, or there was that killing curse you used the other day was one of exceptional power."

"Perhaps, Harry, I should mention that you not only fought off a bunch of Death Eaters, but also created a Portkey while suffering magical exhaustion. And from what I understand of this controlled accidental magic of yours and from what I have seen you do with it in just this limited amount of time, it would suggest that you have far more power than you have admitted to me or perhaps even to yourself."

"Jeez Hermione," he said, staring at her with an awed look, "you make it sound obvious. Do you think anyone else noticed?"

"Perhaps, though I would trust the Headmaster to effectively deflect any comments they would bring up."

"You're probably right, Hermione. So, yeah, back to the topic at hand, do you have a problem with the rituals?"

"Honestly? I need to see the ones you performed first."

"And if you don't like what you read?" he asked cautiously.

"Then I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't do anymore," she replied so firmly that Harry was quite sure she would follow through on her promise, or at least try to (As modest as he was, Harry was well aware that he possessed more power and experience when it came to fighting then the girl in front of him). What she did have was spell knowledge and a strong will. "So, can I have whatever text you got them from?"

"Yeah, sure." With that, he sifted through his stack of books and produced the one on rituals. Quickly marking the ones he did, he handed the text to Hermione. He sat back and tried to read one of his other books while his friend skimmed the text, but he was surprisingly nervous, as if he was on trial or something. 'Of course you're on trial, Harry,' he admonished to himself, 'you are trying to justify yourself to your friends. Of course, if it weren't for those damned Death Eaters, no one but Dumbledore would have been the wiser.' Though even after he thought that, he knew in his heart that Hermione would eventually have figured it out, it just would have taken longer.

Glancing over at Hermione, he could see that she had gone from skimming the text to reading over the details very carefully. Sighing quietly, he laid back and tried to go to sleep, which proved impossible, both because he was not tired and even if he was, he was too nervous. After struggling with sleep for another ten minutes, he decided he'd had enough.

"Aren't you done yet?" he demanded as he sat up and glared at Hermione, who looked up from the book and glared back.

"Be patient, Harry. As it is, you should be happy that I'm not done yet, because when I am…" she just shook her head in frustration. "I swear Harry, your luck is going to run out one of these days. I mean just look at the possible catastrophes that could have happened to you, and these are only basic rituals!"

"You can spare me the lecture, Hermione, I am well aware of what could have happened. As it is, it didn't happen. Besides, you need to finish reading." With that, he walked out of the room and down to the kitchen to grab a quick snack. He spent a good hour there, chatting with Dobby, catching up with Winky, and sipping some tea. He glanced up at the clock, and, bidding farewell to the two elves, walked up the stairs to his room. As soon as he entered, he knew Hermione had finished. If it didn't matter to him what she thought, he would have burst out laughing right then and there.

Standing in the middle of his room was Hermione, arms crossed, her foot tapping on the floor, and looking completely enraged. He quickly glanced at the book of rituals that he had left on his bed and saw why she might be a bit upset. It was turned to the last one he had done, not more than five days ago. 'Well, I suppose I would be upset too if I learned that Hermione had stabbed herself to gain power,' he thought as he turned his attention back to his bushy-haired friend.

"So what do you think, Hermione?" he asked all too innocently.

"What do I, I mean wha…" she stumbled over her words, apparently not sure what she wanted to say. "what I mean is, that you, you, you know! With the knife and the stabbing, and the carving and runes!" She practically screamed in frustration, and despite the apparent distress of his friend, he couldn't help but feel a bit amused.

"How about I simplify things, Hermione," he said with barely concealed humor. "Am I evil and have I performed any evil rituals?"

"Well, no, they don't seem inherently evil and I know you aren't evil, but that's not the point Harry!"

"Hermione, I'm alive, healthy, and still retain my magical energy. There is nothing to worry yourself about."

"That's not the point! The point is you could have been killed! How could you have been so reckless."

"Hermione! Calm down!" he said forcefully, surprising the girl into silence. "Now, I wasn't being reckless Hermione, I made a decision that and I believe the benefits outweighed the potential risks. I didn't do this haphazardly. I planned each one out carefully and never tried something beyond my capabilities. Besides, you are now well aware, thank you Albus Dumbledore," he muttered that last part as an aside, " that I am the one who has to defeat Voldemort, I need all the help I can get."

"I understand that Harry, but you're not going to get there through rituals. V-Voldemort has over fifty years on you, plus I doubt he would have had the same self-imposed limitations on what he would and would not do. Let's not forget that he probably created a few of his own! While we don't know how you survived the killing curse, we do know that Voldemort survived it by something _he_ did!"

"Are you through yet?" he said flatly. She merely nodded her head, having got out most of what she had wanted to say. "Good. Yes, I realize he has more power than me, and I am not willing to wait until I am as old as Dumbledore to defeat him. But I have to do something! Even if it only allows me to get through his Death Eaters, and even if I, in the end, fail, then at least I will know that I did everything humanly possible to defeat him."

"Harry," she said after taking a few calming breaths, resting a hand on his arm. "What about this 'power that he knows not' that was mentioned in the prophecy?"

"That?" he said incredulously, "Dumbledore told me that 'love' is the power that I have, yet everyone has love, so what makes mine so special? I don't know, and I don't think Dumbledore knows either. So until we, I, know what I have that can defeat Voldemort, than I will do what I can to stay alive and protect those around me. So if you have a better idea, I'm all ears." She merely shook her head. Harry sighed. "Look, I understand your concern, but this will get ugly pretty fast. Voldemort may have suffered two defeats, but that just means he will turn to his Dementors and any other dark creatures he can recruit. And, given time and a few victories, people will start to side with him again. Voldemort and his followers have underestimated us, and me specifically. I need to be ready to fight, we all do."

"Then let me help! You can't do this on your own." she said determinedly, bringing a smile to his face.

"That's what I wanted to hear! I will need your help planning DA meetings, but first I really, really, need you to learn the skills in that book I gave you, OK?" She nodded her head vigorously. "Good. I'll check your progress in a few days. Is there anything else? It is getting kind of late," he finished as he looked at the clock.

"No, Harry, and thank you for sharing your secrets with me. I promise I won't disappoint you," she said before heading towards the door. She stopped just before opened the door, and turned back to face him. "Good night, Harry," with that, she opened the door and left.

"Good night Hermione," he said quietly after she had gone, a slight grin on his face. 'Well,' he thought cheerfully, 'that went far better than I could have hoped! No obliviations, hexing, or anything. Well, time to get to work.' He wandlessly closed the door and then called out for Dobby, who quickly popped in beside his bed.

"Yes Master Harry Potter sir?" Harry merely rolled his eyes at the short elf's formalities.

"Is my meal ready?" He looked sadly at all the books piled around him. "It looks like it might be a long night."

R-o-t-G-L-

Elsewhere, back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…

"I really think you give the Potter boy far too much lenience Albus," Severus Snape said very formally. "I don't think letting the boy sit in on an Order meeting was a good idea. By bending the rules for him, you give him an over-inflated sense of importance."

"I would have to disagree with you Severus," the ageing headmaster said with a twinkle. "First of all, if you take the time to get to know Harry, you will find that he is a very humble person. And this is not the only meeting I will let him sit in on."

"Surely you can't be serious, Albus? The boy is a menace! To trust him with the Order's secrets? He has barely passable Occlumency skills!"

"Severus, please don't take this the wrong way, but are you blind? I know you were present for the attack on Harry's home, so you can not tell me that Harry is incapable of defending himself. Harry has kept me apprised of his training and I can assure you, he is far more skilled than you give him credit for. Perhaps," Albus continued thoughtfully," Severus, you are unwilling to admit to yourself that Harry Potter may actually be talented. Perhaps you are unwilling to let go of your childhood grudge?" the old man said knowingly.

"I don't know what you speak of, Albus," the greasy potions master said defensively.

"Really Severus? Your animosity towards young Harry is hardly a secret, and the only reason I can find for it is that you hold a grudge against all Potters in general, which, really Severus, I thought you were better than that."

"It's not me Albus, it's him. He _is_ just like his father. The same arrogance, the same disregard for the rules. And you haven't helped in any way. You practically encourage the boy!"

"Severus, I will say this only once." Severus Snape looked startled at the serious tone that Dumbledore used when he spoke these words. "Whether you like it or not, Harry Potter is important to this war with Voldemort, and to a lot of people as well, myself included. Also, despite what you believe, Harry is one of the most noble and self-sacrificing people I have ever met. As much as he looks like his father, he is not James Potter. Now, I will need you two to be able to work together. While Harry has improved much on his own, I do believe that he may need your help."

"Surely you don't expect me to work with him?" Snape said, aghast.

"Severus, he will need training in the Dark Arts, and I do believe he may just wish to continue Occlumency lessons with you now that he has a better grasp of the skill. If you agree, I can guaranty you that Harry will remain civil with you if you remain civil with him."

"Albus…"

"Severus, I must insist that you at least try. I trust that you can put aside some childish rivalry and work for the greater good."

"Very well. I will try Albus, but I can not guarantee you anything."

"As long as you try Severus, that is all that I ask."

R-o-t-G-L-

The next few days flew by for the people residing at #12 Grimmauld Place. The first thing Harry had done the next day was send Hedwig with a message to Madam Malkins with an order for another set of robes to replace the ones he had worn when he had been fighting at Privet Drive. Hermione, unsurprisingly, had quickly not only read through the chapters Harry had assigned her, but had finished the entire book. After inquiring with Anne Granger, he learned that his friend had barely slept and had spent much of her time reading.

Despite her enthusiasm, the practical application took a bit longer to learn. Hermione had read the book in three days, and Harry could have sworn that that was all she did during that time, but it took them another four days of practical application before she had been able to throw Harry from her mind.

Harry, for his part, felt he had been a far better teacher than Snape. Instead of going right after Hermione's negative memories, he spent the first hour of their time together trying to get her to recognize when someone was sifting through her memories. Once she identified the feeling, it became a matter of her summoning the will to push him out. Afterwards, they practiced by having Harry go after any of Hermione's unpleasant memories, and, in time, Hermione had been able to push him out, though it wasn't until late on the fourth evening of their practical exercises.

"Urrgh!" she yelled in frustration. "Why is this so difficult Harry? Weren't you able to at least force Professor Snape out of your mind your first day?"

"Well, sort of. But there are some things you need to keep in mind Hermione. First of all, and I don't mean this as an insult, but I do seem to have this uncanny knack for resisting magic that influences the mind, as Barty Crouch taught us with the imperious. And let's face it, I have had more experience with weird visions and exercising my will against another." Hermione just nodded in agreement before taking her position across from Harry, who had raised his wand again. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. _'Legilimens!'_"

For what was probably the fourteenth time that day, Harry once again found himself once again skimming through Hermione's memories, searching for some of her more unpleasant ones. He passed by ones he had seen before, such as her time in primary school, where she was teased by other kids for her excessive study habits and large front teeth. That was one thing Harry quickly realized once he had begun to help his friend with her Occlumency; he was now far more aware of her background, and he felt he was beginning to understand her more, her attitudes and what drove her. Granted, at times he felt very uncomfortable sifting through his best friends worst memories, but she refused to back out, arguing that it was better that he be there to teach her than to allow someone like Snape access to her mind. At least she knew Harry wouldn't use what he saw against her and Harry couldn't help but feel a bit warm knowing that she trusted him that much. 'Besides,' he though with a bit of irony, 'it will be my turn when she eventually wants to learn legilmency!'

He could feel Hermione start to resist his mental probing, and though he was still relatively new at being a legilmens, he had some practical experience, and what he lacked in experience, he made up with sheer willpower. So he continued to plow ahead, searching for memories that were either embarrassing or personal. It was when he was coming up on the events leading to his and his friends' departure to the Ministry of Magic that he suddenly felt Hermione's will surge and he found himself kicked out of her mind. He looked at Hermione and saw that she was breathing heavily, though she looked almost excited at finally succeeding. She had already gotten over her embarrassment of Harry viewing her memories days ago and thus was solely focused on her current accomplishment.

"Well, congratulations Hermione, you finally managed to kick me out. Though, if you don't mind my asking, why that memory of all things?"

"Well, and you have to promise not to laugh at me," she said as she caught her breath.

"I give you my word Hermione that I won't hold anything against you. You know you can tell me anything."

"Well, it's kind of silly really, but I see my inability to stop you from going to the Ministry as one of my biggest failures. Seeing that made me want to not fail this time." Needless to say, this slightly shocked Harry.

"I don't understand what you mean, Hermione."

"Harry, I knew it was a trap, but I couldn't stop you. I have thought a lot about this, and while I know you had your reasons, and good reasons at that, for believing Sirius was there, I knew otherwise. I sometimes think that if I had tried just a little harder, been a little more persuasive, I could have kept you from going to the ministry, and possibly helped stop Sirius's death. It's silly, I know, but still…"

"Wow, Hermione," he replied, a bit disbelieving, "I suppose that actually makes sense, in an odd sort of way. But," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Sirius's death was the result of a lot of actions on a lot of people. Besides, do you really think you could have stopped me from going?"

"Well, no, I suppose not, and like I said, it is a bit irrational on my part, but…"

"No 'buts', Hermione. None of it's your fault, it's not my fault, it's Voldemort's, and Lestrange's, and even Dumbledore's to some extent. And, were I honest with myself, a lot of it is Sirius' fault. He wasted time taunting his cousin instead of finishing the duel quickly. But enough of this sad talk. Do you want to continue, or should we end on a high note?"

"No, let's end here tonight," she stifled a yawn before continuing. "I don't know about you, but I am ready to fall asleep on my feet."

"I know how you feel," he replied with a short laugh. "Take heart that I am not as brutal or as skilled at this as Mr. Snape is."

"Mr. Snape, Harry? When have you started calling him Mr. Snape?"

"That, Ms. Granger, is none of your concern," he said with false arrogance. Harry, while not liking Snape and still refused to refer to him as a professor, was not completely blind to the fact that he was a very skilled potions master, and should be addressed with some respect. Thus, he had decided to start calling him 'Mr. Snape.' He also had his ulterior motives, as he knew eventually he would have to ask the potions master for help and it would therefore be a bad idea to continue to treat the man with disrespect. Focusing back on Hermione, he continued: "Now that you know how it feels to force someone out, we can work on you doing it faster and not having to wait for more personal memories to come up. Once that is done, we will work on your full time mental protection."

"Okay, _Mr_. Potter," she said, trying to suppress another yawn but failing spectacularly, "I'll see you in the morning." Bidding Hermione a good night, he headed back up to his room.

The next few days were filled with activity, as Harry helped power the new wards at the Granger's home along with a few security additions of his own. Not knowing the active life-span of his magical constructs, he had searched through almost twenty books, a few of them from the Black Family Library, until he had found an activation charm that allowed the magic of his gollums to remain dormant until activated by the wards. He also had to change the shape of his creations, as they had to fit tastefully in with the rest of the Granger's decor. Unfortunately, he neglected to change their colour. Wards and defenses were also set up at the homes of the other family members who had been at #12. He remembered fondly the Granger's reactions when they saw the golums in their garden.

"Harry, dear," Anne Granger said kindly. "What are those things?"

"Oh, those are modified versions of my magical constructs," he said proudly. "I call them Ted 1.1. They aren't as big or as powerful as the original, but I added some charms so that they remain dormant until needed, thus retaining their power!"

"I see," the woman said, a bit confused. "They don't exactly match the décor though." At this, Harry looked at them for a moment before flicking his wand and causing vines to grow around them, making them fit in with the garden.

"Nice job Harry," Mr. Granger said, approaching his wife and Harry. He was obviously more impressed with them than his wife. "Can I see them in action?" Harry just nodded and waved his wand, creating another Ted 1.1 though this one wasn't tied into the wards. Almost immediately, two of the gollums came to life and leapt upon the new construct, tearing its artificial body apart. Harry just watched in amusement while the two Grangers looked on in surprise. Otherwise, thing went smoothly in setting up the defenses of the home.

As for the fact that Hermione's mother was aware of the majority of the prophecy, Albus had a two-fold solution. First of all, she had agreed to be obliviated of that memory, and then he did something that Harry could only describe as hypnotism as he planted false memories about what was said that night. Normally Harry would have thought it ridiculous, but in this one instance, he didn't feel like taking any chances. When Harry asked Dumbledore where he learned hypnotism, he told him that he had learned it from his Occlumency instructor years ago.

While Hermione's parents decided to move back home now that it was safe, Hermione had chosen to remain with Harry to continue with her limited Occlumency lessons and helping him plan future DA lessons. He could have sworn Anne Granger winked at her daughter just before they left, but passed it off as nothing. Hermione, for her part, seemed to blush a little and huff a bit, but otherwise made no mention of it.

It was the day after the Grangers had left, and Harry was sitting in the kitchen eating lunch when Albus Dumbledore arrived.

"Harry," the old man asked as soon as he entered the room, "when you are finished with your lunch, would you mind joining me in the sitting room?"

"Uh, sure sir," Harry was a bit surprised at the unexpected arrival of the headmaster. "Give me a few minutes."

"Oh, no hurry Harry. Take your time. I'll be waiting for you there." With that, the old man left the kitchen, humming some unrecognizable tune. Harry turned his head to Hermione, who was looking at him with what he could only assume was an expression of confusion that matched his own.

She asked, "What does he want with you today?"

"I honestly have no idea, but there is no time like the present to find out." He took another bite of his sandwich before standing up and heading for the sitting room. As soon as he entered, he knew that it wasn't just a social visit, as standing next to Dumbledore was Alastor Moody.

"Didn't waste time getting here, did you Potter?" the grizzled ex-Auror said as soon as Harry entered.

"I suppose not prof… I mean Alastor." He then turned to Dumbledore. "What did you want to see me for sir?"

"Please Harry, I think we know each other well enough for you to call me Albus when we are not in public."

"Uh, okay. That will take some time to get used to sir, I mean Albus."

"Oh, not to worry my boy," Albus replied gleefully, "you will have plenty of time to get used to using my name." At this Harry merely raised his eyebrow is a rather Snape-like manner. "You see Harry, I have decided that, if you are willing, I would like to test you capabilities today, so that I may have time to prepare for our private lessons when school starts. Alastor is here because I would like him to be one of your tutors."

"Yeah, sure! Um, what do you need me to do?"

"Well Harry, are you up for a duel?"

"Uh, with who Albus?" he replied hesitantly. However, he had a sinking feeling he knew who.

"Why, with me of course!" Albus replied, still maintaining his cheerful demeanor.

"Yeah," Harry let out a sigh as he spoke, "I thought so. So, where are we to have this duel?"

"I was thinking here would be a good place. Alastor, if you would?"

Alastor Moody nodded his head and began to wave his wand, clearing the room. As Moody continued to prep the room for a duel, Albus gestured Harry to take a seat as he also did so.

"Harry, while Alastor is busy, I felt I should inform you that your aunt and uncle's last will and testament will be read a week from now. I was thinking that you should perhaps make an appearance."

"Sir? They didn't exactly like me, so I doubt that there is anything worth going for."

"I realize that Harry, but don't you think that perhaps you should make peace with your cousin? As I understand it, he will be moving to some relatives of his on Vernon Dursley's side somewhere in Canada."

"I guess I will consider it, though I really don't want to talk to him…" Harry paused a thought suddenly struck him. "Albus, I'm still underage. Who is technically my legal guardian?"

"Well my boy, I was able to get the Ministry to transfer your guardianship over to Hogwarts. So while you have no official guardian, you will be under the influence of Hogwart's rules until you are seventeen. This shouldn't present a problem as you usually remain at the school all year anyway. As for the few weeks we have before school starts and the month or so you will have after this upcoming year till you turn 17, I have merely promised the Ministry that you will be under my protection. I hope this is satisfactory Harry?"

"Yeah, I suppose that will work. Better than being adopted by some unknown wizarding family."

"Albus, Potter," Alastor said, walking over to the two, "the room is ready." And indeed it was. All the furniture had been moved into a corner and shrunk. Instead, there was a raised platform very similar to the one Lockhart had created in Harry's second year, though not as high and not as opulent. Harry could see the walls shimmer slightly and he figured that Alastor had most likely put some protection wards into the walls. 'Probably what took so long,' he though idly.

Both Harry and Albus got up and took positions on opposite sides of the platform, both armed only with a wand. They both bowed to each other as Moody looked on with a strange sadistic glee.

"Alright, the rules are very straight forward," spoke the ex-auror. "Albus challenged Potter, so Potter gets to cast first. Otherwise, no unforgivables and the first one unconscious is the loser of the duel. The walls have been reinforced along with some cushioning charms. Any questions?" Both the duelers indicated that there were none. "Good. Then let's begin." With that, he signaled the start of the duel and immediately apparated away.

Harry flicked his wand at Albus, sending a powerful stunner at the old man. Albus almost lazily batted the spell away with his wand but did not return fire. Taking this opportunity, Harry quickly threw up a bright, maroon hued shield while wandlessly adding some more shields and protective spells to his clothes. Meanwhile, Dumbledore seemed to be still waiting for Harry to make his move.

Harry leveled his wand again and began to rapidly fling pink spheres of energy at his opponent. Now Dumbledore sprang into action. He quickly conjured a shield that easily absorbed the energy. Flicking his wand a flame-like whip sprang from his wand, similar to the one he had used against Voldemort. It tore throughout Harry's outer shield, but stopped when it hit the defenses Harry had put on his clothes. Unfortunately for Harry, it still restricted his movement. With a flick of his wrist, Dumbledore had Harry sprawled out on the dueling platform.

Harry tried to roll over only for the old man to tug at him again, keeping him off balance. Getting frustrated, he decided to employ the little skill he had learned early on in his training. Quickly concentrating, his body quickly turned to the consistency of smoke. Though the defensive spells he put up deactivated, the flaming whip also fell to the ground, prompting Albus to release the spell.

As soon as Harry assumed a solid form, he quickly rolled to the ground avoiding a bolt of red magic. In one swift motion, he came back up to his feet and yelled '_diable cravache!'_

'Two can play that game!' Harry thought savagely as he cast the spell. Normally Harry wouldn't have been so competitive when it came to Albus, but it was rather embarrassing having the old man toss him around like that.

A look of surprise crossed the old man's face as six long tentacles of sickly yellow magic sprang from Harry's wand, wrapping around his opponents waist, neck, wrists and ankles. Harry twisted his wand, toppling the other dueler off of the platform. With another twist, he flung the headmaster into the wall. With one last flick of his wrist, Harry brought his quarry back to the dueling platform prone. By now, Harry could see that Albus was also getting frustrated. Much to Harry's surprise, the magical tentacles flew off of the other wizard and dissipated as he stood up and faced Harry, a determined glint in his eyes.

'Ah bloody hell, his stupid eye twinkle is gone," Harry thought desperately. He didn't have time for much more thought as he had to dodge another burst of energy from his opponent. He didn't know what spell it was, but the energy that radiated off of it as it flew by Harry's arm burned him. He knew now that Albus was dueling to win, and so should he.

Dodging another one of Dumbledore's spells, he sent a Reductor at the platform right in front of Albus and then apparated behind him, sending off five stunners in quick succession. However, Dumbledore wasn't there. Harry quickly turned around only to be blasted in the chest, flinging him across the room and into the wall. Throwing his mental blocks up, he immediately regained his footing. Quickly bringing for the memory of the _witches hammer_ spell, he sent out a modified version as a beam instead of a spread out blast such as the one he used at Privet Drive.

Albus tried to move out of the way, but it caught him in the shoulder chucking him to the ground in a rather impressive back flip. Meanwhile, the spell continued on, and before Harry could stop it, it reacted with the magic in the walls, cleanly blowing a hole in the wall. Ignoring the damage he caused, Harry pressed his attack, barraging Albus with stunners and a variety of blasting and stunning hexes. Albus Dumbledore was not considered the greatest wizard in the world for nothing though, as he seemed to absorb the weaker spell and quickly deflect the others.

Soon Harry was on the defensive, blocking and dodging the spells thrown at him. Unlike Dumbledore, Harry was struggling to block even some of Album's weaker spells. Thinking quickly, Harry dived to the ground and rolled one his glass marbles towards Dumbledore. Waving his wand, he turned the sphere into one of his magical constructs (this one was titanium white instead of the normal black and red), quickly ordering it to knock the headmaster out. Harry meanwhile used the distraction to once again go on the offensive.

It almost looked like it might work. Dumbledore was caught in one of the creatures tentacles and his shields were starting to weaken under Harry's attack. That is, until a jet of flame sprang from the old mans hand, blasting through the tentacle holding him. He dropped to the ground and with a wave of his wand, blew the construct to bits. Harry looked on in surprise. He knew he had been able to put more power into his creation this time than he had with Ted, and his own killing curse hadn't even stopped it. Now he had just seen Dumbledore blow the thing away with one spell. Harry's hesitation would have cost him the duel, if there had been a way for Harry to avoid the next spell. As it was, there was no way he could block or dodge the wall of energy that was bearing down on him. Harry immediately lost consciousness as the bright yellow force of magical energy hit him.

Harry woke to see Albus Dumbledore looking down at him smugly as his eyes had that odd twinkle to them. He reached out his hand, which Harry eagerly grasped, and helped the young man back to his feet.

"Proud of yourself, Albus?" Harry sneered as he dusted himself off.

"Quite!" he said happily. "I haven't had that kind of challenge in a friendly duel in quite a few years. I only had to hold back a little bit."

"Hold back? You bloody well blew up my construct! Even I can't do that. You call that holding back?"

"Why yes, Harry. I did, seeing as how it wasn't a duel to the death, though I didn't hold myself to those restrictions when it came to your magical construct. As you so effectively demonstrated before, they are not living."

"Fine! Your point is taken," the younger man replied sullenly.

"Oh come now, Harry, did you really expect to win?"

"I had hoped," he said, glaring at the old man. Albus merely quirked an eyebrow at Harry, matching his stare. They kept this up for almost a minute, neither one of them blinking. It was Harry who broke first, as he began to chuckle and then started to all out laugh. Albus merely smiled at the young man.

"I-I suppose it wa- was rather silly of me to hope that," Harry tried to speak as he collected himself. "I mean, hell! You're Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, first class, and all that rubbish."

"I suppose I should be insulted that you consider my political positions rubbish Harry," he said lightly. "By the way, I noticed that you didn't use any particularly powerful spells either. Care to explain?"

"Oh, well, as I have explained to Hermione, most of what I learnt was meant be seriously debilitating. Since you aren't exactly a Death Eater, I didn't want to take the risk of hitting you with some of the nastier curses and dark spells I learned. Besides, would you want to explain to Madame Pomfrey or perhaps the people at St. Mungo's how and why you were incapacitated if somehow you didn't block or dodge something?"

"Well, Harry, as much as I have faith in my skills to counter such spells, you do have a point. That said, I think that our first part of your training when school starts up will be field healing and spell reversal. Once you get that down, we can start having some truly exciting duels!" The man seemed almost giddy at the prospect of having curses thrown at him.

Harry just shook his head as there was a knock at the door just before it opened. In walked Alastor Moody followed by Hermione. Moody's magical eye was pivoting around, taking in the damage to the room. It was Hermione who spoke up.

"Harry! What do you think you were doing, dueling the Headmaster!"

"Hey, he started it!" he said defensively, looking to both Albus and Moody for some back up.

"Potter's right, lass, Albus requested it. Wanted to test Potter here." He then turned his attention to Harry. "You might want to be careful Potter, she's been aggravated ever since you blew that hole in the wall." Hermione shot the old auror a glare only to receive an amused (if not a bit demented) grin in response. Harry meanwhile glanced at the hole he had caused and then looked around the rest of the room. Paint and plaster were chipped, along with a few lumps and dents. The dueling platform was damaged and there was debris from his construct everywhere.

"Wow, we really made a mess of things in here. Good thing I have Dobby and Winky hired." Harry seemed to consider something before practically jumping in excitement. "Hey! I have a great idea." Harry whipped out his wand and quickly glanced around the room. "Alastor sir, where are Winky and Dobby?" The elder man's eye quickly swiveled around.

"The elves are in the kitchen preparing dinner Potter, why?"

"Make sure they don't come in here." With that said, he began casting various cutting and burning charms on the carpeting and the wall.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione screeched, looking at her friend as if he had suddenly lost his mind.

"Getting new carpets," he replied as he finished burning a large hole in the rug. Looking satisfied with his work, he called the house elves. "Winky! Dobby!" The two elves popped in quickly. "Sorry to disturb you from whatever you're doing, but do you think you could replace this carpet when you have the time? Perhaps something blue?"

"Of course, Master Potter!" Winky said primly, or as primly as a house elf could speak. Dobby merely nodded in agreement. Harry informed them that they were no longer required, and they went back to finish dinner.

That evening, while Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Dumbledore were sitting at dinner when a small, familiar owl darted into the kitchen. It was none other than Pig, Ron's owl. Harry quickly grabbed the small bird as it began to fly around his head and untied the knot from its leg. After reading it, he looked up and answered the questioning looks from the rest of the people at the table.

"Oh, it's from Ron. He and the rest of his family will be back a week and a half before the start of term." That was only a few days away.

* * *


	14. Diagon Ally and more

I don't own anything related to harry potter.

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Chapter 14:

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The next couple of days Harry and Hermione spent their time planning the DA meetings and working on Hermione's Occlumency. When they weren't doing that, Harry spent his time studying and practicing new spells, especially ones from his old charms and transfiguration books. He wanted to make sure he was caught up completely so he wouldn't have to waste time on the extra homework the professors seemed to love to assign when the students failed in class.

It was the evening before the Weasleys were to arrive, and after a particularly productive day of studying and practice, as Hermione had finally learned how to put in 'permanent' mental shields. While they were very weak, they would at least inform her if someone was trying to access her memories. Harry decided to give himself a treat by actually going to sleep. That's not to say that he felt any real exhaustion when he didn't sleep, but he had learned that sleep did more than just rest the body, it also relaxed it. Harry also figured it would be nice to give his poor mind a break.

At the threat of sounding like Ron, he was beginning to feel like he would go mental if kept up his demanding studying schedule. For someone who spent all of their time studying and practicing, eight hours of inactivity was a great sacrifice and thus he considered it a treat to himself. After informing Dobby that his services would not be needed that night, Harry changed into his silk pajamas and crawled under the covers and quickly fell asleep.

_He was walking down the 7th floor hallway past the room of requirement, when he heard a violin playing a rather up-beat tune from behind the door. He pushed the door open and stepped through._

_Harry found himself in what he thought should have been the forbidden forest. Instead of ravenous acromantula and dark shadows, sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the patches of grass and wildflowers that were prominent throughout the forest. He gazed around wearily, expecting some strange creature to suddenly pop out at him while searching for the violin. He heard rustling in the bushes behind him as the violin music suddenly stopped. He threw himself around, whipping out his wand, which looked peculiarly like a pencil, and pointed it in the direction the noise came from._

_The rustling got louder until a pink and yellow goat sauntered out of the shrubbery._

"_What the hell?" Harry muttered to himself. "Why is there a pink goat be out in the forest? Everyone knows only maroon goats hang out in forests. How odd." He continued to stare at it, even as it started to chew on the green toga he was wearing._

_While contemplating this most perplexing puzzle, he suddenly jumped back when the goat bleated angrily and suddenly turned into a satyr. The odd creature said not a word and then reached behind itself and pulled out a violin and began to play the same tune Harry had heard earlier. _

_Seemingly out of nowhere, a swarm of fairies descended upon the area and began to frolic to the upbeat notes coming from the satyr's violin. He chose to ignore them and sat down on the grass, listening to the delightful music. It wasn't until a light buzzing next to his ear that he broke his attention from the satyr and its violin. Recognizing the buzzing, Harry's right hand shot up and grabbed the buzzing object. Harry turned his head to look at the snitch he had caught. He barely had a chance to inspect it when one of the fairies swooped down and grabbed the snitch right out of his hands. The mass of small, flying humanoids gave a collective giggle at his misfortune and quickly flew off into the woods._

_Well, this was completely unacceptable. Jumping to his feet, Harry started chasing the fairies, trying to steal the snitch back. They flew quickly through the forest, leaving the clearing far behind. Taking a running leap Harry found himself on his Firebolt, chasing after the fairies as they darted in-between the trees. The chase lasted for a good ten minutes, until the fairy with the snitch was just within his grasp. Removing his hands from the broom, he lurched forward and Harry's hands clasped around the fairy. Unfortunately, the sudden shift forward sent the broom out of control and Harry was flung to the ground. Not deterred at all by the minor injuries he sustained, he grasped the fairy firmly with one hand, and with a cry of triumph, took back the snitch with another. The fairy started to struggle as Harry placed the snitch into a pocket on the inside of his toga. _

_With the snitch secured, he diverted his attention to the creature in his hand only to find that the fairy was a miniature version of Hermione, with wings, wearing an elegant blue gossamer dress that he was quite sure the real Hermione would never wear (though he had to admit that, miniature or not, she did look quite amazing in it). Taking advantage of his distraction as he observed her, she flew from his grip and dove into his toga. Before he knew what was going on, he was rolling on the ground in laughter as the mini-Hermione tickled him mercilessly. It was only when it stopped did he realize he no longer had the snitch as fairy-Hermione was now standing on his chest, holding it in front of his face. _

_He looked at the fairy Hermione curiously and then raised his hand to take the snitch back. She responded by smacking the tip of his finger with it, which hurt more that a small object like that should. He pulled his hands away and the fairy took off, not before waving the snitch in front of him mockingly. As soon as she had flown away Harry realized he was in a large field of brown scrub grass that seemed to stretch forever. Turning around, he found that the forest had now disappeared. He looked up only to see the red sky with gray clouds. Shrugging his shoulders, he did what felt most natural and began walking._

_As he moved across the field, he came upon a door. It was rather fancy, made of polished oak with a stained glass window that depicted two snakes fighting each other. He was aware of a strong force beckoning him to open the door, inviting him in. Shrugging his shoulders, he reached out and grabbed the brass handle that was in the shape of a dragons head._

Harry opened the door and found himself in what seemed to be a great, black void. Stepping forward, he found that, contrary to the toga he was wearing only moments before, he was now wearing the combat robes that he had worn during the battle of Privet Drive.

"Hello Harry Potter," a voice practically hissed from behind him. Harry whipped around to find himself looking at an older version of Tom Riddle. Now, I say Tom Riddle because he did not have the grotesque snake-like appearance that Voldemort now had. Instead, he looked very much how you would expect a sixteen year old Riddle when he was 60, though he still maintained the black robes and red eyes Harry was familiar with. Thinking quickly, he decided that confidence, bordering on arrogance, was probably the best way to deal with this situation.

"Hello to you too Tom," he replied evenly, perhaps even casually. "What are we doing here?"

"We, Mr. Potter, are here to talk," as soon as he spoke these words, two blue leather chairs, a small ornate table, and a tea set shimmered into existence. Not paying any attention to Harry, Tom sat down in one of the chairs and poured himself some tea. Taking a sip of it, he looked back up at Harry. "You know Mr. Potter, it is rude to remain standing when a host offers you a seat."

"Yes, well, being that you are the murderous, I-take-joy-in-causing-pain type of guy, I didn't think you would really stand on ceremony too much. Besides, you never actually offered, you just assumed I would sit."

"Well, then, you have my apologies. Please," he said gesturing to the other chair, "have a seat."

Harry stared at him for a moment before he took a seat and leaned back casually, throwing his legs over the side of the chair. Riddle merely looked at him disapprovingly.

"Really Mr. Potter, do you have no manners?"

"Yes Mr. Riddle, I do. I just don't care right now and I still don't see why you care."

"Harry, may I call you Harry?" Not waiting for a response, Tom continued on. "You see, that is exactly what my Death Eaters fight for, pride and dignity. Just because they are ruthless when it comes to pursuing what must be done to defend their way of life does not mean they are completely uncultured. Indeed, me and my followers fight so that the more civilized, proper race can resume their place of power."

"You know what Voldemort, I don't really care. You said we are here to talk, so what do you want to talk about? And it better not be about any of your pure-blood bs. And while I'm asking, why do you actually look like a normal person?"

"Simple Potter, were are in my mind, so this is who I am, much like you appear to be who you are."

"I see. So who are you then? What does this," he pointed at Voldemort's human body, "representation mean? You dress as Voldemort, but you appear to be Tom Riddle. Which is it?"

"See Harry, Voldemort and Tom Riddle are the very same, always have been and always will be, for all eternity. Though my body has changed, who I am and what I stand for has not."

"I see. And who am I?"

"A soldier, a fighter, but still a young man," he said, gesturing to the combat robes that Harry was currently wearing. Contrary to Voldemort, Harry seemed to appear how he was in the physical world. "I must say that it is somewhat of a surprise to see you like that. I had assumed you would appear, as you said, more normal, perhaps donning those ill fitting muggle hand-me downs that I have heard you wear. I also see your scar, though I have it on good authority that you practically detest the attention you get because of it. I suppose this means you have embraced your identity as my opponent. Very interesting."

"Yes, as interesting as this all is, get to the point. When I go to sleep, I prefer to rest, dream psychedelic dreams, weird stuff like that, not chats with warmongering hypocrites like yourself. Though," he mumbled almost to himself, "its not like you have given me odd dreams before."

"Such rudeness Mr. Potter, though I am probably slightly deserving of your ire, and perhaps you should talk to someone about those dreams of yours. Nevertheless, I actually happen to agree with you and we shall get down to business. You have grown strong Harry, and while my spies can't tell me how you have gained such skill since our encounter at the Ministry, I do have some theories. However, how you have gained this power is irrelevant. What is important is that you _are _powerful."

"You still haven't answered my question," Harry sneered. Riddle merely ignored his rudeness and continued to speak.

"It is because of these developments that I asked you here. I want you to join me Harry. Now, hear me out before you scoff," he said, holding his hand up. "You would make an excellent addition, and in doing so I can guaranty the safety of the ones you love. You would be my right hand man Harry! Power, respect, it can all be yours. With you on my side, Albus Dumbledore doesn't stand a chance!"

"I can stop you right there Mr. Riddle," Harry said quickly, deciding that if Voldemort was going to be civil for now, he might as well be also, "as I have no intention of joining you. I refused you when we first met, and my resolve has only gotten stronger since."

"Think about it Harry," the Dark Lord replied, brushing off Harry's last comment. "Lets say that somehow, in the unlikely event, you defeat me, what then? You become a public tool, thrust in front of crowds on holidays and then ignored when you're not needed. Perhaps made a scapegoat when things go wrong? It has happened many times before, and will happen again. With me, you can retain your influence, or, if you want, fade from the public view without being hassled. Why worry about public opinion when you control the public, the government, and the press? Just some of the benefits of having absolute power Harry!"

"Power? Power is pretty useless if you have to give up everything to get it. By the way, how the hell did you get into my mind?"

"Really Mr. Potter, you do seem to be jumping all over the place tonight, mentally speaking, of course. Again, to answer your last question first, I didn't. I merely invited you into my mind. I figured it would be much easier than waiting for you to find me as you used to do. Another testament to your skills."

"Wait, what do you mean when you said I used to find you?"

"You honestly do not know Mr. Potter?" Riddle asked, genuinely surprised. "No, I don't suppose you do. Its quite simple Harry, I rarely invade your mind, far too much effort really. Instead, I wait for you to come to me. The fact that it takes so much effort to force myself into your mind is another testament to your power Harry, whether you are aware of it or not. I can help you unlock that power, if you join me."

"Promises Mr. Riddle, nothing but words. How often have you offered power to others only to get them to serve you? You don't give power, you merely take it! I've seen your meetings, where your servants bow and kiss your robes like whipped dogs. Thank you, but no."

"I am offering you more than that Harry. I want you to join me, not as a servant, but as a partner."

"Sorry, but the answer is still no."

"Well, I was afraid you might feel that way Mr. Potter, though I really suggest you think about my offer. Until then, you may leave." Harry was surprised at being allowed to just leave, but decided it was best not to question his luck (after all, he really didn't want to fight the Dark Lord, mentally or magically, unless he really needed to), turned around and opened the door. As he stepped back into his mind, he heard Voldemort call out behind him.

"Remember Harry, if you change you mind, you know where to find me." Harry pretended to not have heard him and slammed the door shut.

_Harry once again found himself in the field. He stood there, not really sure what to do, when he suddenly started to shake violently and the world started to get all fuzzy._

"_Harry! Wake up!"_

Cracking open his eyelids, he found himself looking right back into the brown eyes of Hermione. He found himself oddly disappointed to find that she was wearing a normal red blouse and jeans and was lacking in wing span.

"Hermininnny," he slurred out tiredly, "where are your wings?"

"I don't have wings Harry," she replied slightly impatiently.

"Oh. Perhaps you should get some," he muttered as he rolled over and settled back under his blankets. "They look quite nice on you, along with that smashing dress…" he trailed off as he once again dozed off.

"Harry!" she cried out, shaking him again.

"What is it Hermione?" he mumbled, "I was having a really interesting dream. Real interesting, and odd," he muttered to himself. "So very odd."

"I'm sure you were Harry, especially if you think I should have wings, but the Weasley's are coming back today and I thought you might want to be awake when they arrived." Still not moving to get up, Harry closed his eyes.

"What time is it Hermione?"

"It's almost seven! Ron and his family are supposed to be here by eleven! Normally you are up by now, so I got worried. I tried to wake you earlier but you just mumbled something about being rude so I let you be, and then I … Harry, are you even listening to me? Harry!" Noticing that he had once again fallen asleep, she began to shake him vigorously again.

Harry, having already decided that he was going back to sleep for another hour or two (after all, this was his treat to himself) decided he needed to get Hermione to shut up and stop shaking him.

"Ermione," he mumbled, "would you please stop shaking me?"

"No! You need to get up," she said resolutely before sounding a little like a small child, "you promised me we could get some more practice in before Ron showed up!"

"Ill make it up to you later, I promise," was his muffled reply. "I'm taking an undeclared vacation this morning."

"Harry, you can't take a break now! There's still so much stuff I haven't learned yet!" She crawled onto the bed so as to improve her leverage and once again had resorted to shaking him. "Harry, get up!"

He couldn't help but smile at her attitude. 'Only Hermione would want to practice even though it was obvious that he wasn't going to do anything today and had given her the day off.' Well, at least he thought it was obvious. Apparently, she hadn't got the message that he wasn't moving. Hermione was still trying to wake him up, so he did the only thing he could without having leave the comfort of his bed. Holding out his hand, he threw a stunner at her. Not expecting the attack, she didn't even have time to pull her wand out to defend herself.

Harry turned his head when he felt her roll off the bed and land on the floor. He looked at her for a moment through half open eyes. Coming to the conclusion that she appeared to have landed in an extremely uncomfortable position, he levitated her onto he bed. He was already going to get an earful later for stunning her, so it would be for the best if she wasn't stiff and sore to add to her irritation. Making sure she looked comfortable, Harry buried his head into his pillow and fell back to sleep.

R-o-t-G-L-

It wasn't until almost three hours later that Harry finally woke up. Immediately he was startled when he realized that there was someone else in his bed. His moment of panic lasted only the few moments to it took to see was only Hermione, though this still confused him. He sat up and stared at the young woman, utterly perplexed.

'Why is she here? I don't remember…' He quickly looked down at himself and then at the girl by his side. He was wearing a full set of black silk pajamas, both bottom and top, while Hermione seemed to be dressed for the day. 'Well,' he thought with some relief, 'at least nothing happened," though there was a little voice in the back of his head quietly asked if it would have been so bad if something had happened. Harry, who had barely the courage to kiss a girl, much less touch them in that way, merely wrote that voice off as his hormones talking and shoved it into the back of his head. As he sat there trying to remember why his friend was in his bed, he came across the memory of his little chat with Voldemort.

"Damn dark lords," he groaned as he flopped himself roughly back onto the bed. His movements caused the unintended side effect of waking Hermione up.

"Harry?" Hermione said quietly as she lifter her head, her hair even more fizzy than normal. "What's wrong? Is it your scar?"

"No, it's nothing Hermione." He looked over at her, and while he could see the sleep in her eyes, he could tell she didn't believe him. "So," he continued, trying to change the topic, "what time is it?" She gave him one of her looks but dropped the topic as she looked at her watch.

"Oh no! It's almost ten, we need to get ready." With that said, she jumped out of bed and started to pace his room. Harry crawled out of bed much slower than his friend, not seeing the need for rush, though it was later than he had planned. He stumbled to the bathroom, grabbing a change of clothes on his way, leaving Hermione pacing nervously around his room, muttering to herself. However, when he came back out clean and in a fresh pair of black slacks and a gray shirt, she looked as if she had worked herself into a rage.

"You!" she yelled, pointing her wand at Harry.

"What about me?" he replied calmly, holding up his hands in defense as he slowly backed away.

"You stunned me and then act all innocent! I should hex you for that!"

"Come on Herms! You threatened to hex me and Ron all the time."

"Don't call me Herms! And I will have you know that when I threatened, it was to get you to study! In other words, so you can be productive. Ooh!" she groaned, her wand drooping just a little. "Now we don't have much time to get ready for the Weasleys!"

"Hermione, I really don't see what the rush is," he said, trying to subtly reach for her wand. "So the house might not be in tip top shape, but they have seen the house in worse condition."

"I am not worried about the house, Harry! What do we tell Ms. Weasley, or Ron for that matter?"

"Excuse me?" now Harry was a bit baffled, his hand just touching the tip of her wand. "Tell them what?"

"Don't you remember? They don't know about the attacks! What are we going to say to them?"

"Well," he said very slowly, "I am going to leave telling Mrs. Weasley to Dumbledore and the rest of the Order. I really do pity Mr. Weasley right now. As for Ron, well, I'm sure he will understand." Hermione looked as if she wanted to argue that point, but Harry chose that moment to pull the wand away from her. This earned him a very disapproving glare from his female companion.

"Promise not to hex me?" he asked cautiously, holding her wand away from her. She seemed to mull it over for a moment.

"Fine, but you owe me," she said, grabbing her wand back as Harry held it out to her.

"Harry!" Remus called out to him through the door. "You up yet? I need your help down in the kitchen!"

"I'll be right there Remus. Give me a minute." He then turned to Hermione. "I'm going to go help Remus in the kitchen, you want to come or what?"

"Sure," she said, pocketing her wand. "While we're down there, you can talk me through some mental exercises. We are going to do something productive this morning."

"If that's what you want, I suppose," he said as he shrugged his shoulders and headed for the door, just happy that he had escaped from the stunning incident relatively unscathed, Hermione walking right beside him. They were heading down the stairs when he heard a loud chattering coming from the entryway. It would appear that the Weasleys had arrived.

R-o-t-G-L-

Ron Weasley quickly followed his mother's rapid pace as they approached the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, or as he had learned recently from his dad, Harry and Lupin's house. To say he was excited was an understatement. While he had greatly enjoyed the trip with his family, he had missed his friends greatly. He felt a little guilty about leaving when Harry had just suffered such a personal loss, but his friend had said that he was ok and Ron knew that if Harry said he was okay, there was no way he would accept help. This is not to say that he did not fear a repeat of last year, what with the yelling and all.

"Come along Ron, we can't dawdle too long. Security and all that," Molly Weasley commanded as they headed down the street. They had taken the Knight Bus from the Burrow, where they had flown to after their rather long trip back from Romania, to a few blocks away from #12 Grimmauld Place.

Grunting, he tried to pick up his pace, but was having trouble with his rather heavy trunk. He looked over to Ginny as she giggled at his apparent difficulty while she seemed to be pulling her trunk along with ease. As he looked around, he noticed that the rest of his family seemed to be having an easy time of it as well. His entire family was here, well, almost all of them. The twins were missing, having to tend to their shop. Ron also thought his father looked a little nervous. Not the 'oh dear something bad has/will happen' nervous, but more like the 'I've done something Molly wont approve of' nervous'. Figuring that his dad was always doing things his mom didn't like, he let it go and turned his attention back to his sister, who was still smirking at his apparent difficulty.

"What's so funny Gin?

"Nothing Ron," she said a little too innocently (and too easily, if you asked Ron as he grunted along as he dragged his trunk),

"Really?" He said between breaths. Ginny merely grinned at him at practically skipped ahead to talk to Charlie, where Ron was sure he heard talk about feather-weight charms, causing Ron to roll his eyes, not that anyone saw it. They continued for a few more minutes, all the while the Weasley matron continued to prod them along to hurry up until they stood in front of Grimmauld Place.

They all paused at the front door to #12 as Mr. Weasley handed Percy a piece of paper, which undoubtedly written by Dumbledore to allow Percy to enter the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Not surprisingly, Percy was the only one who didn't seem excited to see Harry, not that Ron couldn't blame him. After all, Percy had been very outspoken against Harry, claiming his delusional and mad, and now he was about to confront that very same person. Once again, Ron also noticed that his father seemed exceptionally nervous, and kept glancing between Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and himself.

Ron followed the rest of his family inside, where he almost dropped his trunk as he noticed the same changes in the house that Harry had a few weeks before. They all began chatting at once, commenting on how much had changed, what had been done before they had left for their trip, and general statements about how it was actually looking like a home now. Molly was quickly lead away to the kitchen for an 'emergency' order meeting while the rest of the family was still mingling. In all the chatter, none of them noticed Harry and Hermione descend the stairs into the entrance way until Ginny happened to look up and see them.

"Harry! Hermione!" the young girl yelled as she ran up to meet them, throwing her arms around the two of them (which was possible as they were still standing next to each other). Ron looked up, intending on greeting his two friends, but stopped when his eyes rested on them. Both were different from when he had last seen them two months ago. Hermione was slightly tanned from her trip to France, and Ron would have wagered that she had grown, something adolescents tend to do, especially when one does not see them for an extended period of time. However, it was not Hermione that caught his attention, but his best mate, also known as Harry Potter.

Harry had most definitely grown, more so than Ron would have thought in only two months. Also, contrary to his normal large, drab gray clothing, he was wearing muggle pants and shirt that actually seemed to fit him. Then there was his flesh, which was extraordinarily pale, especially next to the young woman next to him who had a light tan. As Ron continued to observe his friend, who at the moment was busy greeting the other Weasley's (except for Molly and Arthur), he noticed something was off about him, something was different and he wasn't thinking about the obvious physical changes. He focused on Harry's face before he realized it.

Not only were there new scars, though they were faint, it was his eyes that got Ron. When he had last seen Harry, his vibrant green eyes seemed sad and somewhat dead, a far cry from the lively look they usually held. Now, however, they were neither lively nor dead, but old and sad. Yes, he looked and felt happy at seeing his surrogate family, but his eyes betrayed a deeper sadness, something that Ron could not place. Now, as surprising as it is, Ron had learned how to read his friend, even if he usually kept his feelings to himself, and while he did not have the grasp of human emotions that Hermione did, he could tell when something was off with Harry, even if he didn't know what.

"Ron!" Harry cried out as he parted through the sea of red headed people. "Good to see you! How was your trip?"

"Oh, yeah, it was great mate!" Ron shook Harry's hand when they were facing each other. "I had a lot of fun, as did I think everyone else. How was your summer?"

"Well, it was, umm, I suppose eventful, would be the correct word," Harry replied, shuffling his feet. Hermione rolled her eyes, but went unnoticed by the two friends.

"Really?" the tall red head asked, though his tone was more accusatory than curious.

"Right, well, you see Ron, um, while I was at …"

"What was that Arthur!" Came the screeching voice of Molly Weasley from the kitchen.

"Um, right. Ron, why don't we take this conversation up to my room? Ginny, you can come too, as you'll no doubt find out anyway." Harry pleaded quickly, his eyes darting around to make sure the Weasley witch hadn't come to find him yet. "Yes, that would probably be best," he muttered to himself and darted up the stairs.

Ron and Ginny both looked at each other in confusion, before turning to Hermione, who seemed to be itching to leave the area as well. Any indecision he may have had was gone when he heard his mother bellow from the kitchen door.

"Harry James Potter! You get down here right this instant!"

Ron looked to guidance from Hermione, only to find that she was already dashing back up the stairs as well. Shrugging his shoulders, Ron followed with Ginny right behind him. They dashed into a room that they saw Hermione enter. As soon as they were inside, the door was slammed shut and both a masculine and feminine voice were heard casting multiple locking charms. Ron just looked stunned that Hermione would dare to break the under-age magic rules (though Harry, for some reason, didn't surprise him).

R-o-t-G-L-

After completing some quick privacy and locking charms, Harry turned back to his friend. When he had first seen him, Harry couldn't help but smirk at his friend. Ron looked a bit sun burnt from all his time outside. Indeed, his skin almost matched his hair now. Ron had also grown some and was still taller than Harry, though not nearly as much since Harry had more time. 'Besides,' he thought, 'if my ego ever needs that boost, there are always magical means of changing one's height permanently.'

"So," Ginny practically demanded as she and Ron took a seat on the bed, "what is going on that has made mum absolutely livid?"

"Yeah Harry," Ron chimed in, "what has been going on around here? Does it have something to do with how you look?"

"What do you mean 'how I look'?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Gee Harry, it might be that you have a few new scars," Ginny said sarcastically. Harry looked at Hermione, who merely nodded in affirmation.

"Oh! I guess I don't really pay too much attention to myself in the mirror. They really that obvious?" They all nodded.

"Whatever Harry, now what's going on?" Ron spoke impatiently. "I mean, dad obviously knows, as he has been looking nervous all day, plus what just happened with mum…" Ron trailed off as Harry held up his hand to tell him to stop. He then walked into the corner of his room where he had tossed the Daily Prophet's he received. He shuffled through them until he found the ones detailing the attack. He walked back over to them and tossed the papers on the bed between the two Weasleys.

"It would be much simpler if you just read it for yourself. Surprisingly, they actually reported it accurately." With that said, Harry began to pace his room while Hermione sat at his desk and started to read whatever book happened to be there. The other two, seeing as how Harry wasn't going to say anymore just yet, shrugged their shoulders and grabbed the paper.

The two siblings sat down on the bed and began reading. Harry was quick to cut them off when they tried to speak and just told them to keep reading. It was a half-hour later (and many interruptions) when the two finished reading, both looking decidedly paler than when they starter.

"Mate," Ron's voice was shaking, "y-you really were there?"

"Yes Ron, I was there."

"And it happened about two weeks ago?"

"That is correct."

"I see," he said quietly, which sent up warning flags in Harry's mind. "Why didn't you tell me? Do you not trust me? I know it doesn't take two weeks for Hedwig to deliver your letters to me!" Harry really wanted to bitch slap Ron for that being the first question he asks, but he restrained himself. After all, if he wanted Ron on his side, it wouldn't do to harm him.

"Its not about trust Ron," he said impatiently, "how would I go about telling you? Somehow I don't think a letter would have been the best way. I can see it now, 'Dear Ron, So my muggle relatives were killed, my neighborhood was destroyed, and oh, by the way, I happened to kill a few Death Eaters while all this was going on. How was your summer?' I'm sure that would have gone over quite well, do you?"

"I'm sure you could have thought of a better way to word it if you tried," Ron replied dryly. The two females remaining silent, deciding it would be best to let the two friends work this out on their own. "Its because you don't trust me, isn't it?" Harry couldn't help but feel a little bad for Ron, who sounded so defeated. After all, it was true, sort of.

"You want an honest answer Ron?"

"Yeah mate, I do."

"Fine. There are two reasons. One, after I recovered, I was perfectly happy not thinking about it except from a strategic view, you know, seeing what I could have done better, how the outcome of that incident will effect things in the short and long term, that sort of thing. The second reason is that I honestly didn't know how you would react."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, unlike Hermione, I don't have a good grasp of people's emotions. I figured one of two things would happen. You either would think I was perfectly justified in my actions or you would think I turned into some insane dark wizard." Harry couldn't help but wince at the pained look on Ron's face.

"Did you really think I would believe you had gone dark Harry?" Although Ron sounded almost pleading, making Harry wish he could tell him that it was a silly notion of his, but he couldn't, because that would be a lie. He decided to give Ron a straight answer. After all, he knew he would want one.

"As unlikely as it seems Ron, I did. Let me explain first," he said quickly, cutting off whatever comment, if any, Ron was about to make. "I know its been over a year, but sometimes you can just be so damn unpredictable. I would never have guessed that you would turn on me with the whole Tri-Wizard thing, but you did. Yes, I know that is done and over with and that you have matured and learned from your mistakes, but a part of me will always remember that at one point, you turned on me along with everyone else."

"I understand Harry," Ron replied a bit dejectedly, "and you know that I am sorry about that."

"I know Ron, and I do think that it's just being paranoid on my part. After all, Privet Drive was supposed to have been the safest place for me to live, according to Albus. I suppose that belief being destroyed so completely made me feel a bit vulnerable."

"What I want to know," Ginny cut in, "Is why you weren't able to pull that sort of thing off back in the department of mysteries?"

"Yeah, about that, um, I can't tell you, at least, not at this time."

"Why is that? Does Hermione know?" Ron asked, giving the bushy-haired girl a glance.

"Yes, mainly because she found out on her own, and because she has agreed to a few conditions."

"Well, we can agree to do whatever Hermione did!" Ginny declared.

"Well, it does require learning Occlumency," Hermione chimed it, "and that isn't a stroll in the park, even when you have Harry teaching."

"You know Occlumency now Harry?" Ron asked in disbelief. "How?"

"One of my secrets Ron."

"Oh. So, when can I learn?"

"Sometime after school starts, at the earliest," Harry said patiently. "I want to make sure Hermione is trained first, seeing as how she knows the most, aside from Albus."

"Oh, so we don't get to find out till then?"

"If ever," Harry said flatly.

"Come on Harry, what is so important?"

"Ron, what I have done to be able to do what I have done is not only very illegal, but really dangerous, as Hermione has already lectured me. I can not take the risk of it becoming public knowledge without a few guarantees." Harry took a breath, waiting for their reactions. And waited.

"So that's it?" Harry asked, a bit perplexed.

"Yeah mate, what else were you expecting?"

"You're not upset about me having killed people?" He looked at the two Weasleys who were just staring at him. "Nothing? Especially I killed some of them in a rather brutal fashion? Loads of secrets, that sort of thing?" Ron looked almost taken back by the question.

"Why would I mate? I mean, hell, they did kill your family and countless others, if these articles are anything to go off of. I say they got what they deserved."

"I agree Harry," said Ginny. "They made the choice to become Death Eaters, now they have dealt with the consequences." Harry couldn't feel more pleased, and a little shocked, at this news, though he wondered if they would still be singing the same tune if they learned what _other_ things he had done, and what he still planned on doing. The group continued to discuss things, such as OWL results and classes. Ron had decided to take DADA, charms, transfiguration. Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures plus the Art of Enchanting elective while Hermione was going to take DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Potions and Arithmancy. She also was able to squeeze in the Magical Theory class. She had wanted to take The Art of Enchanting, but Albus had warned her about the amount of work that came with NEWT level classes. As it was, she was taking more than the average student (and Hermione had already sworn to herself not to do the time-turner trick again).

Dinner that night was a quiet affair, as somehow Arthur had been able to pacify his wife. This did not, however, prevent her from pampering Harry whenever she got the chance, even if it was just refilling his drink. Harry and Ron merely shook their heads at each other, hoping that it would pass once she got over the shock. After all, it's not every day that you learn your eighth child was involved in a Death Eater attack. Again. With a full stomach, Harry gave Dobby instructions to once again prepare his midnight meal and headed up stairs to continue his studies.

It was early the next morning when twin cracks signaled that people had Apparated into Harry's room. Harry, who had been sitting at his desk, didn't even turn around to see who it was. After all, there were only two people he knew who would Apparate together, especially this early in the morning.

"Hello Fred, George," Harry not looking up from the book he was reading. "May I ask what you are doing in my room? You do know it is common courtesy to knock before you enter."

"Now Harry, I don't believe any one has ever accused us of being courteous."

"Indeed, our dear founder, you must have us mistaken for someone else."

"Perhaps," Harry responded idly, "but that still doesn't answer the question of why you are here."

"That is a conundrum, isn't it Fred."

"I couldn't agree more George."

"Would you two stop it?" Harry said firmly. "I am in the middle of something you know."

"Sorry Harry," they replied in stereo, smirking slightly.

"Don't worry about it, just, knock next time." He put a marked his page and closed the book before turning around to face the twins. "I take it you came to wake me up?"

"Correct! By George, he is a smart one, isn't he Fred?"

"I couldn't have said it better George." Harry just groaned as he rested his head on his palms. "Now Harry, that is no way to accept a compliment! It was one, right George?"

"Yes Fred, I believe so. However my dear brother, it is perhaps best not to antagonize him. You read what happened to the last people that made Harry angry."

"So true, and sad business that," they both shook their heads sadly before perking up again. "Well Harry, Remus asked us to tell you that we, that is to say you, Hermione, Gin, and our dear brother Ronniekins, can go to Diagon Alley today. Dumbledore suggest that we leave early, so if there is any incidents, there won't be that many people."

"Secretly though," George added, "we think he is doing it as a favor to you so you can avoid as much gawking and hero-worship as possible. The only people who will be there are honest business people and dark wizards who are out for your blood."

"Good to know," Harry sighed. "Lets go then."

Harry met the rest of his friends, along with Remus and Tonks, who were to act as 'security,' though Remus quietly told him that they were more like back up for him. The twins meanwhile, had Apparated back to their shop. Dumbledore had managed to get the ministry to authorize a legal Portkey for their trip, due to the 'high security threat' posed towards Harry. Harry secretly thought that the ministry was still trying to gain his favor. Donning the ridiculous hat he had worn on his last trip to Diagon Alley, something which earned him a surprised look from Hermione and giggles from Ginny even after he explained it looked better when worn with robes. Hermione just shook her head and told them to hold up for a minute as she ran back up the stairs. The teens just shared confused glances until Hermione came back carrying Harry's silver cloak.

"If you insist on wearing that awful hat, then you might as well wear this as well. It makes you look just a little less ridiculous," the girl said authoritatively as she handed the garment to Harry. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at each other just before they grabbed the Portkey. After their arrival in a private room of the Leaky Cauldron, they set out for their shopping trip. The first part of the trip was uneventful, and perhaps even down right boring.

As predicted, there were not very many people out shopping that early, though there were a few Hogwarts students, however none that Harry or the others recognized. They stopped at all the standard shops: Flourish and Blotts, Madame Malkins (where Harry picked up his replacement set of combat robes), the apothecary, and the Magical Menagerie.

"All right everybody," Remus announced as they ate lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. "We'll let you guys go off for the rest of the afternoon, but I want you all to be at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes at five so we can Floo back as a group. Understood?" After receiving nods and grunts (Ron) in confirmation, he and Tonks when out to patrol the Alley.

"So where are we going to head off to then," Ginny asked once the adults had left.

"We need to head to quality Quidditch! Right Harry?"

"Well, actually Ron," Harry replied, "I need to pick up some books first." At this, Hermione beamed while Ron scowled.

"Harry, mate, we already stopped at Flourish and Blotts, what else do you need?"

"Flourish and Blotts doesn't have what I am looking for"

"It doesn't have what you are looking for?" Ron looked at Harry in amazement. "Harry, they have practically everything!"

"Ron, just drop it. There is another place that I like to shop at."

"Oooh!" Hermione practically squealed, "is this where you got your other books?"

"Um, yeah Hermione," he replied, a bit startled by her girlish out burst (if you can count squealing over a bookstore girlish).

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Hermione said as she bolted up from the table, grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him with her. Ron looked absolutely confused.

"What about Quidditch Harry?" the tall red-head called after him desperately. "You need new pads this year!"

"Not playing this year Ron. Well meet you at your brothers shop!" Harry called back over his shoulder as Hermione dragged him back into the alley. Ron sat there in shock.

"You're not playing?" he said to the empty air. Ginny giggled at him and turned back to her food.

Harry, meanwhile, allowed himself to be dragged along until they were almost upon the entrance to Knockturn Alley. They had gotten some odd looks from other patrons of the Alley, though they didn't pay too much attention as Harry's scar was still covered up. Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and turned her so that she faced him.

"What Harry?" she asked impatiently.

"Well, first of all, you don't know where we are going. Secondly, we _are_ going into Knockturn Alley, so perhaps a bit of indiscretion is due till we get to the shop? You are dressed as a muggle after all."

"So are you."

"Right, um, you have your school robes, right?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded as she held her bag up slightly. "Good, I need one and you need one." Realization dawned on Hermione and she hurriedly pulled two of her new robes out of the bag. Hermione pulled Harry into a small alley between stores, earning herself a raised eyebrow from Harry.

"Do you really want to be putting on a girl's robe in the middle of the street?" she snapped.

"No, I suppose not," he replied as he fastened the slightly too small robe one. He pulled out his wand, and muttering under his breath as he waved it at himself, resized his borrowed robes. With another flick, he had changed them to a cobalt blue color. Analyzing the color for a moment, he pointed his wand at his hat and changed the color to match the robes.

"I do hope you plan on changing those back Mr. Potter," his female companion huffed as she watched him. "They are new after all."

"Don't worry Herms, the charms will fade in a couple of hours." Sadly, he missed the glare he got for shortening her name again. "Now," he commented looking over at Hermione, "you're missing something." She looked at him curiously as he seemed to be inspecting her, making her feel more than a little self-conscious. His eyes suddenly lit up and he reached down to the ground and found a small pebble. "Now," he said with a bit of excitement, "stand still. I haven't done this before." With that he placed his hand on the top of her head, leaving the pebble there.

"Harry?" Hermione stuttered as Harry leveled his wand at her.

"Just stand still Hermione," with that said, he suddenly swished his wand in an oval shape to the area above her head while saying _creatrix pestas!_ Suddenly, Hermione's head tingled and it felt as if someone was pulling her hair as a weight settled on top of her head. Almost as soon as it had started, the tingling and pulling was already over.

"Harry James Potter!" she practically screeched. "What have you done?" Instead of answering her directly, he waved his wand and conjured a hand-mirror and handed it to his female companion. Hermione gasped as she found herself now wearing an emerald green gaucho hat with a silver band. While transfiguring a hat wasn't that amazing, it was the fact that it was Harry who cast the spell that had put her hair up into the hat. "Wow. Though, I do wonder why you Harry, of all people, happen to know that charm?"

"Well that's quite simple Hermione," he replied, "it was in a book on stealth and disguise. Now, enough standing around. We do have a shop to go to." With that, he held out his arm for Hermione to take a hold of. Now it was her turn to give him an odd look. "What? We want to look casual, as if we take strolls through Knockturn Alley all the time." Hermione just sighed and looped her arm through his and they made their way into Knockturn Alley.

Despite it being later in the day, there were still surprisingly few people, making the walk to the alley that contained the shop just that much more easy. Harry pulled her into the alley between two buildings and quickly guided Hermione down the stairs to the shop. She looked skeptically at the ratty old sign but followed nonetheless.

The place was just as Harry remembered it: large and dusty. Hermione looked like she had found heaven as she started glancing at titles of the various old books.

"Mr. Potter," the old man wheezed haughtily, seeming to literally come out of the woodwork, causing the two teens to jump. "I sell you those books on the belief that you would do some good with them. Instead, I read in the paper that the Death Eaters slain by you were deprived of life by spells taught in school! My god boy, what have you been doing with your time?"

"Ah, sorry sir. You see, I had um, used that one book that I was a bit reluctant to buy a few hours before the attack and was feeling a bit drained. I assure you, next time I will put to good use all that I have learned." Seeing the man still glaring at him he added, "besides, you should feel proud. I got the idea of using basic hexes and such from you after all."

"That you did," the old man said, breaking out in a grin. "Well then, why don't you and your friend go ahead and look around. I already sold you the texts I would personally recommend, so have at it." Hermione seemed to get a glazed look in her eyes as she contemplated the amount of unique knowledge that was most likely stored in the shop.

"Hermione," Harry said, snapping her out of her stupor, "do remember we only have a couple of hours here." She nodded excitedly and immediately turned her attention back to the books. Harry let a small grin come to his face as he watched her dash off into the depths of the store. He then turned back to find some texts for himself.

Harry was skimming through a pile of random spell books when a voice spoke up behind him.

"Quite a pleasant young lady friend you have there Mr. Potter." Harry turned around to see the old bookseller looking at him with a twinkle in his eye eerily reminiscent of Dumbledore's.

"Yeah, Hermione is a good friend," Harry responded cautiously. "She's very good at keeping me in line, or at least trying to," he finished with a slight smirk.

"Indeed. Though, if I may suggest something Mr. Potter?" the old man asked. Harry just nodded for him to continue. "Next time you take a young lady out, perhaps somewhere other than a bookstore would be advisable." Harry just stared at the man in shock. Meanwhile, the old man just patted his shoulder and walked off into the depths of his shop. Harry wanted to call to him, to correct the old man, but he had already disappeared among the bookshelves. Sighing in frustration, Harry turned back to looking at books, the event soon forgotten.

It had been a struggle to get Hermione out of the shop, especially when she found that she only had enough money for a third of the books she found. So of course, she had to spend another half-hour sorting through the ones she wanted to buy right away and was still only happy after Harry had gotten the shop owner to put the others on reserve (which cost Harry a few galleons, but he wasn't going to let Hermione know that). With the books sorted out (Harry bought a few himself and had shrunken both his and Hermione's) and the disguise charms back in place, Harry and Hermione headed back into the alley and to Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

As soon as the two teens entered, they were immediately bombarded with questions about why they took so long, why Hermione was wearing a hat, what was with the different robes, and so forth. Harry merely said 'Knockturn Alley' and pointed to a stack of shrunken books, which seemed to answer everyone's questions, or at least confused them into silence. Harry had barely enough time to look around the shop before Remus started herding them towards the fireplace. Harry was the last one to Floo to headquarters. As soon as he stumbled out of the fireplace, he had only a second to realize it was dark before the room became very bright as people yelled incoherently with bursts of colors happening haphazardly around the room.

Panicking, Harry dove into a roll, whipping out his wand and began cursing wildly as he came to his feet. There was a cacophony of yells and shouts as he sent stunners and mild blasting spells throughout the room, trying to cover as much area as he could. His spell casting lasted only a few moments as his wand was suddenly ripped from his grasp by a powerful disarming hex. Raising another shield with his hand, he took stock of the situation. Instead of the chaos of an attack, he found the kitchen of Grimmauld Place empty, save for one Albus Dumbledore pointing his wand at Harry with one hand while holding Harry's wand in his other.

He realized the room was not empty at all, as members of the Order and his friends started to stand up after hiding under the table. Hermione, confetti hanging off of her temporary hat, was smirking down at the others as if to say 'I told you so.' Ron peeked his head up from beneath the table, looking warily in Harry's direction. There were sounds of '_enervate_' as those unfortunate enough to get hit were revived.

As for Harry, he was feeling completely confused. Harry stared at the scene, trying to figure out what was going on. It was Tonks who had taken pity on him. Tapping him on his shoulder to get his attention, she pointed to a frosting-splattered banner (some poor, innocent cake had been hit during the little skirmish) that hung over the kitchen table that clearly stated HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY HARRY!

* * *


	15. Harry, we need to talk

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!  
All right, my name is Katie and I am taking over OldNicks story, I hope this is all right with you all. I am a fan of this story, and I hope I can do this Justice. THANK YOU OLDNICK for giving me this chance to write the remaining chapters. Nothing will change much in the story... Hopefully. :Hears fans of Story: OF COURSE this is STILL an H/HR story! Anything else is JUST WRONG! All right, Feedback is welcomed. Thank you. ON WITH THE STORY!

Up until ROTGL is Old Nicks writing.

AN/ From OldNick: I thought about ignoring the Weasley's for the most part, especially Ron and Ginny, but I sucked it up and realized that I have become too biased against the fandom version of Ginevra and Ron so I am making an effort to do those character right (notice I said 'effort'). I still don't like Ron, but I will try refrain from doing any Ron-Bashing.

Chapter 15:

_Tapping him on his shoulder to get his attention, she pointed to a frosting-splattered banner (some poor, innocent cake had been hit during the little skirmish) that hung over the kitchen table that clearly stated HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY HARRY!_

Harry looked around the room cautiously, hand still extended despite his lack of a wand. He almost found it amusing as he watched people flinch as his gaze passed over them (it had become somewhat common knowledge that Harry had some skill doing magic without a wand), except for Hermione. She merely sent him a look that clearly said 'don't you dare. 'Probably still bitter about that whole stunning thing from a few days ago' he thought idly as he continued to look for threats. After he was sure that everything was safe (and after he got to see everyone flinch, which gave him a sort of sadistic pleasure), he relaxed. The entire room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"So," Harry said casually as he holstered his wand after Albus had given it back to him, acting as if nothing had happened. "Whose idea was this? Honestly, I would have expected you people to be a lot smarter than that, all things considered."

"Well, I told them it was a terrible idea," Hermione said, looking immensely proud of herself, which Harry found to be amusing especially with how it contrasted with the sheepish looks on everyone else's faces.

"Kudos to Hermione then. I don't suppose a simple reparo can fix that?" he said, pointing to the blasted cake.

"Almost Harry," Albus spoke up, pulling out his wand. 'libumo reparo!' Amazingly, frosting and cake matter seemed to fly from everywhere in the room and re-congeal into a cake again. The room was silent as people looked between the Cake and Dumbledore. "Most powerful wizard indeed," Harry muttered ruefully, examining the now perfect cake. It took a few more spells to completely clean up the room, but after that, the party got underway.  
Harry was quite surprised to find that he actually enjoyed the party, despite his hostility to the idea of people giving him excessive attention. While it had always been the highlight of his summer to receive packages from his friends on his birthday, he soon found it was even better to have his friends there in person. However, this is not to say that the gifts were not enjoyable as well.

Ginny and Ron had gotten together to give him a gift, which turned out to be a new knife like the one Sirius had given him, thought the quality was not as good. When asked how he got it, Ron merely said that Charlie knew someone who knew someone else who could get them cheap. He didn't elaborate any more and Harry didn't ask. Remus had given him wand polish and a book on famous and historical duels. From Hermione he got a book on translation spells, though Harry thought she didn't look entirely pleased with the gift, though he couldn't be sure, given her tendency to worry about everything.

He got a variety of odds and ends from various acquaintances, though a majority of his gifts were books on some form of defense. Otherwise, everyone seemed to have a good time and the celebration went well into the night.

Eventually everyone dispersed. Harry hung around a bit, bidding everyone goodnight before he himself decided to head back up to his room.

"Harry," Albus called out to Harry as he headed for the kitchen door. "Before you retire for the night, I have something I must discuss with you."

"Sure sir, what is it?"

"Not here," the elderly man said quietly. "Follow me." Harry nodded in agreement and followed Albus out of the kitchen. As soon as they reached the library, Dumbledore swished his wand around while muttering something before turning his attention to Harry's confused face.

"Security charms Harry. They are perhaps not necessary, but you are aware of what Alastor says, especially with all the people in the building tonight." Harry just nodded his head in agreement. "Now Harry, I want you to hear me out and seriously consider what I am about to say. Will you do that?"

"I make no promises sir, but I will try."

"Thank you my boy. Now, I have taken the liberty and have arranged for someone to tutor you in the Dark Arts. While I hesitate to immerse you in such magic's further than you have already done so yourself, I truly believe that, by working with someone who has had more experience with these spells, you will be able to more fully appreciate the power of these spells and thus, hopefully, be less inclined to possibly abuse them in the future. I myself have been required to use some less than savory spells in the past and I feel that if I had not had a mentor when I did, I fear I may have become dark."

" I suppose you have a point Albus, but why bring this up now? Why not wait until I begin my lessons with you in a couple of weeks?"

"Well Harry, it was a request from the instructor himself. He said there were a few things he needed to clear up with you before he began."

"I… see," Harry responded, not really seeing but not sure what else to say. "Um, do I know this instructor?"

"Indeed you do Harry. I have asked Professor Snape to instruct you."

"Snape? Are you serious Headmaster? I distinctly recall our lessons last year ending in failure. How do you expect it to be different? And furthermore, why Snape of all people? Surely you could teach me!"

"First of all Harry, I have already discussed this with Severus and he has agreed to try and be more civil as long as you put out the effort as well. Now," he said quickly, "I understand Severus has been the antagonist much of the time, but I believe that if you both can maintain a level head, you may find that you can be productive collaborators."

"Are you saying you actually want me to become friends with that gi… I mean man? You can't be serious sir!"

"Did I say friends, Harry? No, no, I merely think that you two could be excellent co-workers. I fully expect the two of you to continue with your little hatreds, but I also expect you two to learn to work with each other. Oh, and as for your other questions, I could teach you, but both yours and my time is limited and I feel it would be better served focusing on other topics than the dark arts. And as to why it should then be Severus who will instruct you, well, I am quite sure that the other professors are not very proficient in the Dark Arts. Besides, Severus can teach you what you need to know about the Death Eaters, their strategies, and even how to use potions effectively in a conflict."

"I suppose you have a point," Harry conceded, though he was still eyeing the headmaster cautiously. "When do you want me to start working with him?" Surprisingly, the Headmaster's face fell a little.

"Well Harry, the thing, he wants to talk to you before he agrees to help you. Since he is here tonight, I thought that perhaps you might wish to get this over with."

"He's here, now? Well that is a surprise. Though, I suppose that would probably be for the best to get this out of the way now. Where is he?"

"Severus is in the sitting room right now. I told him I was going to talk to you before you met with him, so he is expecting you." Harry merely nodded and after Albus canceled the security spells, walked out of the library to find Snape.

Harry stepped into the sitting room, finding Snape standing on the far side of the room, inspecting one of the old paintings that still adorned the wall. Clearing his mind of all emotions, Harry cleared his throat. The older man turned around, a sneer on his face.

"Well Potter, I suppose the Headmaster informed you why I wished to talk to you?"

"Yes Mr. Snape, he did." Harry had kept his voice neutral, not wanting to be the one to start what he perceived to be an inevitable confrontation.

"Mr. Snape?" the other man replied, quirking an eyebrow. "Well Potter, it would appear you do have some manners after all, quite a surprise. However, this is not the time to discuss your lack of civility. What I want to know from you is why I should give to you any more of my time than I already have?"

"Because Albus thinks it is a good idea, sir," he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That is not what I asked Potter! I want to know why you think I should teach you."

"First of all, it was not my idea to bring this up today. And as much as I despise you, Albus may well have a point in making his request. Considering your position as a former Death Eater, your experience with the Dark Arts, and potions, you are one of the most qualified person to help me prepare."

"I see," Snape replied calmly. "And why is there no one else 'qualified' enough?" the greasy man sneered. "I'm sure Lupin would jump at the chance to instruct you."

"Well, you probably know more about the Dark Arts that Professor Lupin, you are a potions master, and you also probably know more about the inner working of Volde…"Seeing the anger on Snape's face quickly reminded Harry about how the Potions Master hated people using the word 'Voldemort, "the Dark Lord's group."

"Valid points Mr. Potter," Snape replied, his dark eyes scrutinizing Harry. "However, I must ask, why come to me now? Why not try and cooperate with me earlier?" Harry rolled his eyes. 'Did I just not say that it was Albus's idea to do this today?'

"Well," Harry said out loud, "after the incident at the Ministry, Albus informed me of the prophecy and…"

"That's enough Potter. I have made my decision."

"Oh," Harry said, perplexed. "And what is your decision, sir?"

"I have decided that I will not be instructing you as Albus requested. Have a good evening Mr. Potter." Harry was more than a bit startled but also quite angry. Snape had called him in for what? So he could ask some inane questions as an excuse to refuse to help him?  
Harry quickly took some calming breaths, realizing that he was on his way to acting rashly, something he had promised himself he would try no to do. He did not want to suffer a lecture from both Dumbledore and Hermione for being the first to loose his temper. Damn it though, he did not request this! He was tired of being brushed off by the greasy bat. He was going to explain himself and he was going to do it now! He turned around and faced Snape, who had walked past him and towards the door.

"Mr. Snape!" Harry commanded.

"What Potter?" Severus responded irritably.

"Why not?" Snape considered Harry for a moment, as if judging him.

"You want my full answer Potter?"

"Yes."

"Fine, but you are going to listen, not interrupt, and I don't want you to hear about you whining to the Headmaster about how 'unfair' I'm being." Harry inclined his head slightly in agreement. "Good. The simple explanation, Potter, is that I don't see the point in wasting my time in some futile endeavor trying to an inept child something that they are incapable of learning."

Now, Harry had sort of promised he would stay calm, but here the man was insulting him, so he felt he had to defend himself.

"Excuse me Mr. Snape, but how am I 'incapable' of learning what you have to teach?"

"Simple Potter. Experience. Ignoring the failed Occlumency lessons last year, which I now know were doomed from the beginning, you have consistently proven yourself inept when it comes to tackling any sort of large, complex situation." Seeing Harry's blank look, he elaborated. "Potter, the only time you have devoted yourself to your studies was if it involved Quidditch or if it became absolutely necessary."

"I would have to disagree, sir. I feel that, if anything, my efforts over this summer should have demonstrated that I am serious about improving myself!"

"You have hit it on the head, now haven't you Potter?" Snape replied, his trademark sneer firmly in place. "This Summer, not last summer, not last year, just recently after the Headmaster informed you of some silly prophecy. If you had half a mind Potter, you would have realized after your second year and the situation with the Chamber that you and the Dark Lord's fate were intertwined. But you didn't, did you?"

"Well, it was sort of assumed, but I figured that the Headmaster would be able to take care of it, he being the greatest wizard in the world and all that nonsense." Even as the words left his mouth, Harry thought his excuse sounded a little thin.

"Then it is even worse!" Snape snarled out. "You knew your life was in danger, possibly even the lives of those around you and you did what? Ride your silly broom, slack of in class, waste your time with some ridiculous feud with Mr. Malfoy. And the Headmaster? I have enormous respect for the man, but did you expect him to deal with the situation like he dealt with Quirrel or Lockhart?"

'Ok,' Harry thought candidly, 'he may have a point about that. Doesn't mean he's in the clear though.'

"What you should have been doing was studying hard and preparing for the inevitable conflict between you and the Dark Lord," Severus continued. "Even an idiot would have realized that, after failing to kill you twice, the Dark Lord would come after you again, if only to prove he was the stronger! Even after his revival, when fate seemed to be shoving your destiny in your face, you did nothing but sit around and pout. If it takes the death of your Godfather and the revealing of some prophecy for you to actually do something productive, than I tremble to think of who else must die before you can prepare yourself sufficiently for your task."

Harry just stared at the man, at a loss for words. Really, how does someone respond to those types of accusations? As much as he reminded himself that Snape was an expert at attacking student's sense of self-worth, some of his words did strike true. The excuse 'sorry, I just wanted to be normal' doesn't really work, now does it? Well, he should probably say something.

"Surely Mr. Snape, the past being what it is, can you not give me another chance?" 'Great job Potter,' Harry thought sardonically, 'really great way to sound mature, begging for a second chance.'

"I'm afraid not Potter. I don't think you are capable. I do not wish to waste my time like last year teaching someone who does not want to learn."

"That was different!" he replied angrily. "You did a horrible job of teaching; you didn't help me at all!"

"And whose fault is that?" Snape retorted. "In the real world Potter, you have to deal with people you don't like and who don't like you. You came into those lessons not willing to allow yourself to be taught and afterwards, you didn't follow through with practicing. You should have set aside your dislike for me and learned what you were there to learn."

"And why should I have? For all I knew, the visions were helpful! I didn't know crap about 'mental connections' or 'false images' or any of that stuff, much less on how to 'clear my mind,' as you so un-eloquently put it. What was I supposed to think when I am told I need to spend time with you, of all people, without anybody bothering to explain what the point was?" Surprisingly, Snape wasn't scowling at him, but was gazing at him intently.

"An interesting perspective Potter, but it doesn't change the fact that you have consistently failed to take the initiative before hand. While I am aware of some of the mistakes the Headmaster has made, would it have been too difficult for you to have listened to him and trusted his judgment just that once? I'm sure if you requested it, Granger or perhaps Lupin may have found a way to help you. At the worst, you foolish boy, you would have learned to protect your mind, not a completely useless skill, no matter what the circumstance," the potions master shook his head, sighing before continuing. "Whatever you have done over this summer, Potter, is something you should have started years ago. As I stated earlier, I simply do not have the time to waste on you." With that said, he turned on his heel, robe billowing behind him, and headed back to the door.

"Mr. Snape, wait!" Harry demanded. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. He definitely couldn't let his friends know. But, it had to be done.

"What more do you want Potter?" Snape replied, not looking back. " I have already given you my answer."

"I have a proposal for you, if you are willing to listen"

"I do not have time for this Potter!" he yelled, twirling around to face Harry. "I have given you my answer! That is all!"

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Yes Potter, I am quite sure. Now don't bother me." As Snape was walking out of the room, Harry spoke up again.

"You know Snape," Harry said idly, casually looking around the room. "it is a pity you failed in your teachings of Occlumency. Just think, if the Dark Lord every broke into my mind, he would learn all sorts of interesting facts, such as, oh, I don't know, the loyalties of the Hogwarts potions master." Harry inwardly smirked as the other man stopped dead in his tracks. "Of course, with proper training, such accidents can be averted. Otherwise, well, who knows?" Snape turned around and quicker than Harry thought possible, was standing nose to nose with him.

"You do that Potter," he growled quietly, "and not only will the Headmaster be informed of your treachery, but I will make sure you die with me. As it is, I should punish you for even threatening such a thing!"

"The problem is, Severus, is that I have quite a bit of experience getting away from the Dark Lord. You, on the other hand, have experience kissing the hem of his robes. You are nothing and if you think you will take me down with you, and then you are even more delusional that I first thought. And as for 'punishing' me, you do know that a person's mental defenses are weakest under stress and pain." Harry left the implied threat of leaking info to Voldemort unspoken.

"Why Potter? What do you hope to gain from this?"

"Control Snape. I am sick of you and your twisted little mind games. For far too long have you gotten your jollies off of terrifying and insulting students. Turnabout is fair play, if you ask me. Go ahead, cry to Dumbledore," Harry said calmly, seeing a spark of defiance in the other man's eyes. "By the time you reach his office, Voldemort will know all about you." His lips curled up slightly as he saw Snape twitch at the use of the name 'Voldemort.' Snape backed away and, for the first time Harry could remember, saw defeat in the potion master's eyes.

"Very well Potter, name your terms."

"There, I knew you would see it my way," Harry replied happily. "As for my terms, they are quite simple. You will instruct me in the things Albus requested you to instruct me in. And Occlumency and Legilimency as well. I may have picked up some those skills on my own, but best to be taught d by a master."

"Is that all Potter?" the Snape said, his trademark sneer back in place.

"Hmm, actually, I think I would like to take Potions. NEWT level, of course."

"You are not skilled enough Potter."

"Did I ask for your opinion, Snape," Harry snapped back. "No, I didn't think so. So, do you accept?"

"Very well Potter, but don't expect me to bow at your feet. The conditions are that I will teach you, nothing more."

"And nothing less," Harry added seriously.

"Fine."

"Good. Then it is agreed." Harry stuck out his hand, which Severus looked at disdainfully before shaking. "You know Snape, this all could have been avoided had you listened to your own advice about Albus. After all," Harry said, changing his voice to sound like Snape's, "Would it have been too difficult for you to have listened to him and trusted his judgment just that once?" All Harry received in reply was a sneer as the man twirled around and practically jogged out of the room before 'the boy' could ruin his life any more.

As Harry watched Snape flee the room, he sunk down into one of the chairs that were scattered around the room. 'What have I just done?' he thought dejectedly before also leaving to go to his room. How did his evening end up like this? He hadn't even planned on asking for Snape's assistance, at least not for a while yet, but now he had practically threatened the man's life, and that didn't sit well with Harry at all. It's not like he even wanted to spend time with the man, but something in him wanted to put the git in his place.

Deciding it would be best to get his mind off of what had just taken place, Harry pulled out a large book on various non-lethal, non-dark spells. It took only ten minutes of him attempting to read for him to slam the book shut and shove it across his desk in frustration. He was tired. Tired of reading, tired of studying, and pretty much tired of everything. It didn't help that his conversation with Snape had put a new spin on his view of his own self worth. No, that would be bad wording. After all, it was Snape, of all people, who had said it and thus it should be taken with but a grain of salt. However, some of those comments made had struck a chord in him.

Had he really squandered his time at Hogwarts? Part of him said no, he had spent his time making friends and trying to enjoy life. Unfortunately, another, louder part said yes, he had squandered his time. 'How often had he found himself relying on others to bail him out? Just how many times did Voldemort or those loyal to the bastard need to try and kill him before he started to do something about it?' As is most often the case with a person when they start down the path of self-deprecation, his thoughts continued and became broader. 'Had he not learned to rely solely on himself while at the Dursleys? When had he become so dependent on others? Surely the sorting hat couldn't have been mistaken when it told him he had a 'good mind' and that he should have been in Slytherin.'

'Really, what was wrong with the basic ideals of Slytherin anyway?' he asked himself. 'Ambition? That didn't have to be bad. It is the ambition of power 'just' when one intends to use that power to help people? What about Gryffindor? The students in Slytherin house would say Gryffindor's were foolishly brave, and that may be true, but should it be the norm? Could one not be brave and loyal while being ambitious and cunning? Were these ideals really incompatible with each other? Just look at my friends! Ron is brave yet foolish, Hermione is brave yet clever. Besides, did Hermione not have ambition, even if that ambition was not for self-gain? Did Ron not have ambition in competing with his brothers?' As interesting as this train of thought was, it didn't get him anywhere.

Harry let out a groan of frustration. He was tired of thinking. He had been doing nothing but since he started his little training program all those months ago. He pushed himself away from the desk and started pacing the room, trying to organize his thoughts, but no amount of mental training could help him right now. Soon, the room just wasn't big enough so he headed out and started to wander the house. He wandered aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds of an almost vintage Dark Wizard's house, focusing on the environment around him instead of the tumultuous thoughts in his mind. Deciding that somehow he would find a way to 'accidentally' stain the pink carpets something more agreeable; he figured it would be a great place to retire to. Would definitely give the press something to talk about. He shook his head. He really needed to get out of the house more often.  
His mind grasped onto that one idea: 'get out of the house.' Harry mulled it over as he headed back to his room. It wasn't as if he wanted to run away, right? He just needed to be alone for a little while, somewhere where he wouldn't be disturbed for a few hours. The more he thought about it, the more he figured it would be a good idea. He even had a place he could go, a place that was synonymous with being alone, especially considering its current state. He got to his room, where he threw open his closet and began grabbing some things to take with him. He stripped off the robe he had borrowed from Hermione earlier that day and canceled the enchantments he had put on it. Donning a plain set of grey robes, he placed his knife in his left boot and holstered his wand. He glanced at his sword but quickly decided to leave it. He didn't plan on getting into a fight and even if he did, he didn't plan on staying around long enough to get hurt. At his desk, he wrote two quick notes, placing one on his bed and pocketing another. He grabbed the robe he had borrowed from Hermione and left his room.

On his way down to the entryway, he stopped by the door to the room Hermione and Ginny were sharing. Ignoring the indiscernible conversation that was taking place behind the door, he folded the borrowed robe and set it down in front of the door, placing the note from his pocket on top of it. With that business done with, he quietly made his way down the stairs and eventually outside. Once he was away from the house, he apparated away to Privet Drive.

ROTGL

Harry walked his way down Privet Drive. The homes where still destroyed, and the lawns burnt. The smell of death and decay where far-gone by now. The ministry took care of that long ago. To many saw for them to memory charm all those muggles. To many witnessed this horrible event to make it all disappear. This was one thing the ministry could not erase. Harry walked up the drive that was once known as Number 4.

The home was nothing but ruins, the home still smelt of burnt wood. Harry walked into the home, where the door once stood was now just a large whole in a destroyed home. Harry scrunched his nose in distaste. Outside may have been ridden of the smell of death and decay, but inside the home in reeked of the men that where killed. Harry walked around the home slowly, still taking the whole scene in.

He was the cause of this.

He scold at himself in a broken mirror that laid on the ground. This wasn't his fault. It was Voldemorts. People where killed and slaughtered because of Voldemort. He may have been the target, but he escaped. He had the power and the will to live. He should not punish himself for that fact. And he won't punish himself for it. The men that died at his hand where murders. They where followers of Harry's greatest enemy. He killed for his life, he killed the men that where going to kill him, he killed to survive.

Harry walked threw the Kitchen and than the living room. Some blood still splattered the walls. Unknown who was killed there, Harry figured this is where Vernon Dursley sat watching TV from where he assumed a death eater had forced his Uncle to go and butcher his own family. Harry thought silently. It is true that nothing but bad has come to the Dursley's because of Magic. And yes, that could be pointed at Harry, for he was the cause of the Magic. So in the end, somebody could point to him and say he was the cause of his family's death. And six months ago, that would be his thoughts. He despised his family, they treated him like he was dirt, he was treated as if he where the scum eating off of the scum that where at the bottom of the ocean. Though they treated him like crap through out his lifetime, they where still his family. He felt a small bit of remorse towards them. They did die because he was the "chosen one", they died because Voldemort picked Harry as his equal. But in the end, Harry didn't chose his destiny, it chose him. He didn't ask to be equal to Voldemort. And he didn't ask for all of his family to be killed. He never asked for any of it. So, what should he have done? Just taken it? Let those who he loves, those who love him, die? Let himself be killed? Be weak? Harry physical shook his head to his thoughts. "I may have not chosen this life, but that doesn't mean I haven't chosen my future." He picked up a broken picture of the Dursley's family; "I may not have liked you, but you where my only family left. You took me in when you didn't have to. And I, in a way, owe you my life. I will not let you die in vain. You or anybody else that has died for my lack of judgment or for any other lack I have given, or on my behalf." He repaired the picture and placed it on the mantel above the still boarded up fireplace.

Harry walked from the front room up the stairs, careful to not step on any fragile steps. He did not care to fall threw the stairs into the cupboard where he once spent his nights as a young child.

Here to, the blood still colored the walls. He walked to Dudley's room and looked in. The door was blown from the hinges, and the room was ransacked. Harry glace around the room. Nothing of real importance was left. Dudley's things had been taken from the home after they found that he was still alive. Harry walked in Dudley's room and checked the closet. No cloths where left hanging. No pictures where left in the room, nor any sign that someone stilled lived there. Harry sighed lightly as he picked up a pack of cigarettes of Dudley's. "Typical." He walked out of the room and down the hall. His Aunts room was untouched besides the door was missing, and His Aunts room to seemed to be untouched, as the door was hanging from the bottom hinge. Harry walked into his own room that he had once spent his days at the Dursley's in. His room was also unharmed, His things where gone from the room, He knew this fact all ready. Albus had gotten them before the ministry had time to snoop threw Harry Potter's possessions. The smell seemed to strengthen as he noticed the blood that stained the wooden floor.

Harry sat on his old bed and looked around. He came here to be alone. He had assumed he would be since the home was in such a state. He was wrong. Memory's where here. And that is worse than people in his mind. But in the end, he would of had to come back to Privet Drive, if not to be alone, but to remember what he was fighting for. He knew he had to deal with it eventualy, He wanted to be alone, and here, right now. He was.  
Harry laid on his old bed and looked at the ceiling. He had no idea what he was going to do here. Usually when people wanted to be alone, wanted time to think, wanted time to understand something. Harry thought too much of life, he thought of things that most students his age could even contemplate, let alone handle on a daily basis. Harry understands far too much. He understands his future. He understands that the war will end in either his death or Voldemorts. He understands that nobody is safe in this world. So why he needs to be alone was a mystery to him. But the calm that had set over him was relaxing, and all most welcoming.

Harry closed his eyes in anticipation to the calmness of being alone but the images of the attack of Privet Drive plagued his mind. He sat bolt up and muttered to himself, "Of course it wouldn't be that easy, or else it wouldn't be my life." He sighed loudly and looked anywhere but his doorframe, where he knew the peace of being alone that he had so hoped for had been faltered.

"I thought you had been okay with what you had done here that night, Harry," The voice spoke moments later with out introduction.

"What are you doing here, Hermione?" Harry asked exasperated with her presence

Hermione stepped into his room hesitantly, he had yet look at her. "I found your note and the robe I had lent you laying in front of my door when I went to get a glass of milk," Hermione stepped around the blood on the floor near the door frame and walked towards Harry's bed and stopped feet from him. "I knew you would be here," She added softly

Harry gave her a disbelieving look; he had known she was lying. 'She didn't know I would be here.' He thought somewhat resentfully

She gave a frustrated growl, "Fine! I didn't know you where here. I have been to over 6 places looking for you." She sighed, "I finally realized you wouldn't go someplace crowded, and I decided to look in the last place where you would be, the place that you despised above all places."

Harry gazed at Hermione for a second; She wore faded jeans and worn trainers. Her hair was in a messy French braid and her traveling cloak was hastily thrown across her shoulders over a rather large green knitted sweater. After better inspection, he noticed was his. Harry looked away once again.

"How did you get here?" He asked looking at the wall adjacent to him.

"What do you mean? I apperated." She asked bewildered, but his question dawned on her and she looked down at her hands, "Oh, after I checked the last place, I looked up Surry on a map. I found a park closest to Privet Drive and apperated. The apperation wards are only so far across the town, I wondered around until I found Privet Drive…" She trailed off.

Harry shook the thoughts of Hermione coming to "rescue" him. He didn't need to be rescued. Who did she think she was just coming after him? The little voice in side his head whispered, "Your best Friend," Harry thought somewhat bitterly he didn't need her to be worried about him.

"Why are you here, Hermione." He asked almost cruelly looking at her once again.

She raised her chin defensively, "I was worried about you." Harry scoffed

"What?" She demanded, "I can't worry about you? Am I not permitted to be concerned about the boy-who-lived? Was I aloud to care for you when you weren't what you are now?" She crossed her arms and turned her head away from her.  
In side his head he wished he could have taken what he had said back. Just tell her he didn't mean it. Tell her his thanks for coming after him. But the only thing he could think of was what she had said. "What I am now? What does that mean?" He demanded close to yelling as his temper flared. He stood up. "I change because I had to chance. If I hadn't done what I had done I wouldn't even have a chance in hell fighting Voldemort in a till death battle. I am what I was forced to be by everybody. I am now what people want me to be. I had no choice." All he wanted to be was alone, and it seemed he couldn't have that along with the other many things he so despretly wanted.

Hermione glared at him and spoke in the same volume voice he had. "You are what YOU think you should be!" She yelled accusingly, "Don't blame others when it is all on you."

Harry never wanted to shake a girl before. Never wanted to knock sense in somebody as much as he did now. "I am the "hero", Hermione. I will be the one to face Voldemort in the end. Nobody else wil! I am what I have to be to have any chance at surviving this war. I didn't choose my fate, you know this, but I wasn't just going to let others take control my life and have no say so in my future! I took the precautions that I needed to in order to live!"  
Hermione shook her head; "I'm not even talking about your appearance or your power anymore!" She yelled, "If you could do all of that in order to live than GOOD! But they all have consequences, Harry! And what you did had many of them." Harry looked at her bewildered. Hermione went on as if he had asked her a question, "You. You changed, your behavior. You hold everybody away! Sure, you did that before any of this, but I knew you would talk to me if you needed to. I wasn't worried you'd become reclusive. Before all of this, you showed emotions. Angry, happy, sad, and worried, you showed that you actually cared about something! But now, you're like a brick wall. You show no emotion, you act like nothing matters. Like you don't care about ANYTHING!" Hermione stopped and was now breathing heavily trying to calm herself.

Harry wished he could still be angry, yell back at her, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Thoughts ran threw his mind. "Has she been holding all of this in since the beginning of the summer? How did I not notice?" He asked himself. All he wanted to do was tell her she was wrong, he did care. He wasn't inept of emotions.

Hermione continued on in a low voice, "You don't understand how this feels, Harry. We've been best friends for 5 years. Threw these years I have watched you grow up more than you should have at your age. And then you go through this drastic change over a short period of time. You've become distant, and you're no longer nice. You treat everybody somewhat callously. Like you are annoyed with their presence. I lost my best friend and your standing right in front of me!" Hermione franticly brushed away the tears that where now falling down her cheeks., " I know you couldn't be that boy I had known all those years for ever. But I never thought I would have to deal with this, you sounding so heartless. In my eyes, watching you like this, it is worse than Voldemorts rein to power." Hermione finished turning her back to Harry in order not to let him not see her cry.

Harry blinked, "Heartless?" He asked himself. He wasn't heartless. He had done what he did to live. He did this so his friends could live. But being angry having long passed. All he wanted to do was make Hermione understand.

Harry stepped quietly to Hermione. He reached out to touch her shoulder but stopped himself before he did.

"I was worried Harry. You can't blame me for that. Its Human nature." She said turning around to face him. She was somewhat startled at his close proximity but recovered quickly. She let her tears fall freely down her reddened cheeks. "You're disappearing, Harry. Slowly you're disappearing into the shadows. You don't speak to anybody, not really." Silence fell between them.

"I-" He tried to speak but he failed miserably.

Hermione threw her arms around Harry and buried her hear into his shoulder. Her voice was muffled but still understandable. "I don't want to lose you. I don't know what I will do if I do." She stopped for a second and in a very small voice, "Please don't leave me."  
Harry after a second wrapped his around Hermione and laid his cheek against the top of her head. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I promise."

-ROTGL-

When Harry and Hermione got back to Grimmauld place the house was silent and dead. Harry left Hermione at her room and went to his own. He opened his door to his room and shut it silently. He threw off his cloak and shirt and than his shoes. Harry was about to take his pants off when a knock sounded on his door. Frowning he buttoned his pants and opened his door.

"Hello, Albus." Harry said taken aback.

"Harry," He greeted, "May I come in?" He asked

Harry opened his door and ushered him into the room, "Of course."

"I stopped by a bit ago, but I didn't receive an answer." He said his eyes twinkling slightly, "You must have been indisposed?"

"Uh, yes, sorry about that." Harry said nodding his head slightly

"Ah, no need. No need at all." He said waving his hand dismissingly with a smile. "I understand Professor Snape has agreed to teaching you."

"Among other things," Harry muttered

Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles with a twinkle in his eye but continued. "I would like to talk with you about our training lessons on the second. I hope this is convenient for you." He said

"Uh, that's fine, Albus." He said complying

"Good, than we shall meet then and there we will discuss some things that we need to discuss." He said pleasantly. "Good night than, Harry." At the door he stopped and looked seriously at Harry, "And Harry, I would prefer it if you didn't leave Headquarters even if you are capable of protecting yourself. Mrs. Granger seems to fancy you enough to go around London looking for you, but Alastor surly does not." Dumbledore gave a small smile and left Harry's room.

Harry shook his head as locked his door. There were many things he would never understand, and one of those were his headmaster. He sighed for the last time and climbed into his bed after changing into his sleepwear.

He thought of his day and his mind strayed to Hermione. If Alastor followed Hermione all around London looking for him than he followed Hermione to Privet Drive. Madeye wasn't in the home and Harry knew this for the fact he didn't detect any magic other than his or Hermiones. Was he out side? If he was, did he see the whole thing with Hermione? After they hugged they didn't really say anything to each other. It was a comfortable silence, but a silence nonetheless. But some how Harry didn't care if Madeye had seen Hermione and him hug, nothing was wrong about friends hugging... He closed his eyes in eagerness of sleep and put all thoughs in the back of his mind and let the darkness fall over him. He never apologized for his behavior, and he never corrected her on her accusations, and never told her how much her coming to look for him had ment to him, and he didn't think he could ever bring himself to do so.

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All right! HERE IT IS! panics is it okay? Is it good at all? How was it. Ohhhh, If it sucks I'm so sorry. IF YOU WANT TO THROW PROJECTILES AT ME PLEASE RESTRAIN YOUR SELF FROM DOING SO! … :Looks around: Unless they are flowers… but they should be thrown lightly in commend… No vegetables please… Tomatoes are really hard to get out of hair… Please review, I would like to know what you guys think… Any questions you might have… Anything you would like me to add to the story… ANYTHING AT ALL! JUST REVIEW PLEASE! …

I also know this chapter isn't very long and I am sorry. Oldnick had writen alot of it and I wanted you all to have what he wrote. I didn't have much to work with for this chapter but I feel it is pretty good. And the next chapter will be longer I hope, And if your wondering why I put in another conversation with Dumbledore at the end of the chapter I needed something to end the chapter and I wanted Dumbledore to talk to Harry about leaving because Hermione followed him. So yeah, nothing else to say. Tank you very much.


	16. Back to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: If I seriously owned Harry Potter and everything in relation to it, do you really think Harry would have EVER dated Ginny? Or in this fact, that Ron and Hermione would ever get together? Yeah, no. So here it is, I own nothing but my idea's and computer.

Fun Fact for today:

**Tomato - Fruit or Vegetable?**

**In 1893 , the Supreme Court ruled that the tomato must be considered a vegetable, even though, botanically, it is a fruit. Because vegetables and fruits were subject to different import duties, it was necessary to define it as one or the other. So, tomatoes were declared to be a vegetable given that it was commonly eaten as one. (Source: The Packer, 6/9/90)**

**So, I could have been pelted with a fruit AND a Vegetable!**

Chapter 16: Return to Hogwarts

A fortnight had passed since Harry's belated surprise birthday party. The home was quite and less packed. Hermione's family had been relocated to their newly fixed and charmed home less than a week ago. The Weaslys were now down to their last two children as Fred and George moved into the flat above their business to make it easier to open up shop in the morning. The Twins had confessed to Harry and Ron minutes after their mum left the room that it was really so they could sleep in later opposed to waking up 15 minutes earlier if they decided to live at home. They thought the sacrifice of the smaller living space was worth the 15 minutes. The Order activity within the house had almost come to a halt as the new term of school drew near, making the house quite and almost empty compared to what it has been in the past. To some, the peace of the home was almost eerie.

"Mate," Harry said as he looked around Ron's room, "What the bloody hell happened in here?" Harry kicked a black dress shoe away from where he stood in the doorway.

Ron smiled sheepishly and turned back to looking through his truck. "I know it's in here somewhere," he said as he threw out the other dress shoe. "Ah ha! Here it is." Ron pulled out his chessboard and a bag with his pieces in it. "I'll show Ginny," he said grinning.

Harry laughed, "What are you going to show her?" He asked, "Your room? I agree it would scare anybody with a pulse."

"She claims she's better in chess than me. But I'm going to show her. Want to play after I beat her?" he asked as he headed towards the door.

Harry really didn't want to. He had been heading to the kitchen to get something to eat when a sock flew at him from Ron's bedroom door. Harry was about to say no when Hermione walked into the room and make a face of condemnation. "Ugh, now this is just repulsive," She muttered

"It's how we were meant to live, we're men. We don't clean," Ron said sticking out his chest arrogantly. Harry shook his head at Ron's comment and chucked a shoe at him. It hit Ron on the chest making his smugness disintegrate but he quickly recovered and found humor in it and started to laugh.

Hermione scowled, "Harry's room isn't a mess," She said in a matter-of-fact tone crossing her arms.

Ron gave a weak glare, "He has Dobby to do it for him," He looked around his room and glowered in despite, "I know if I had a house elf I would have a clean room," Ron mumbled barely audible, but both Harry and Hermione heard it.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "If you want, you can ask Dobby if he will clean your room, I'm sure he would be happy to do it. But in the end, it is up to him."

Ron smiled triumphantly towards Hermione, "So, Harry, do you want to play the winner then?" he asked walking back to his truck and closing it.

"Uh-" Harry started but was cut off by Remus who entered the room.

"Harry can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked earnestly, he glanced and greeted Hermione and Ron with a small smile.

"Uh, yeah sure." Harry said, "Sorry Ron."

"Oh, it's okay, maybe next time than?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. Next time," Harry said as he walked out of the room.

Harry walked into the kitchen after Remus, noticing that Molly Weasley stood at the stove while Bill, Charlie, and Arthur Weasley sat around the table. Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks where standing at the end of the table and when they noticed Harry, they also sat.

Remus sat down next to Tonks and Harry followed suit. "What's going on?" He asked looking around the table.

"We are trying to think of how to get all of you to the train on the first," Bill said pulling out rolls of parchments offering one to Charlie.

"We thought you would like to be included in the process," Charlie added, taking the parchment and unwrap it and spreading it across the table.

"Well, most of us did anyway," Tonks said throwing a look to Mrs. Weasley who stood taut at the stove stirring what looked like soup.

"Now, we have a couple of choices here," Arthur said to everybody, "First choice is we can take the approached that we did last summer and walk there."

"With all the attention Harry is getting these days, it wouldn't be very practical," Bill pointed out to Arthur, who in turn nodded.

"Which brings us to our second option; we could get ministry cars to take us there,"

"That sounds like a good idea," Charlie said looking towards his dad, "Why don't we just do that?" He asked

"Well, the dilemma with this is there are various problems," Tonks said interrupting. "We could have easily get a car or two from the ministry with Harry being the savior of the world and all again," She sent Harry a smile, "But some ministry people are lacking in the, uh, amiability towards Harry, him being in the Ministry last June and all. Also, some blame Harry for the Ministry's lack of belief of You-know-who's return. And usually this wouldn't matter, but these people are the ones we need to grant us the usage of the cars." She said glowering, "And we can't force them to do anything, anyway, as the Minister seems to still have a grudge against you Harry, so he won't over rule the rejection from the ministry transport system."

"So really, that was never an option, so on to the third choice, which is to just portkey you kids to the station," Arthur said to Harry

"Does anybody in that department hate Harry?" Tonks asked gleefully to Arthur, sending a joyful smile towards Harry.

Harry scowled towards her, "Why wouldn't you know, you work at the Ministry and you seem full of answers today."

"I don't work in transportation by portkey department. Why should I know if people hate you or not?" She asked smiling

"But you knew if the other people had hated me," He pointed out irately

"I never said they hated you, Anyway, I run into Jim and Todd at the pub sometimes when I go out after work." Tonks said smiling, "Todd always asks me out." She said directing it towards Remus who glared in return.

"You wouldn't date him if somebody paid you. You told Molly that he was as dull as your quill," He said rolling his eyes to her

"That's completely beside the point, tons of guys would be glad to date me-"

"Just because-" Remus started

"I think you two should continue your little quarrel outside of our meeting." Arthur interrupted their little brawl, "Alright, and no, nobody hates Harry in this department, but the only problem would be where they would fall. The platform has certain wards and most likely will land us either on the train tracks or in the middle of the platform where press will be waiting for Harry,"

"Wait, why is the press going to be there?" Harry asked hastily

Remus gave a small sad smile and patted Harry on the shoulder and had Arthur continue on, "We could have Dumbedore lift the wards for the destination time but this could cause problems. We risk an attack if somebody got a hold of the time of the portkey and they would know when the wards would be lifted." He said pointing out, "We also have the option just to have floo you all to Hogwarts and not have you take the train at all." He said making this choice sound like it was his choice.

"But the train is tradition," Bill said frowning

"I agree," Charlie said nodding his head

Mad-Eye glared, "Tradition or not, it's too dangerous to get them there."

"Are there any other choices?" Remus asked

Arthur shook his head in response, but than stopped in mid-shake, "Well, there is always the Knight Bus,"

"What's the problem with this idea?" Tonks asked wondering with a smile

"We could be easily attacked," Arthur said, "Deatheaters could sneak attack us pretending to be a passenger or a employee..." He trailed off

"Well," Harry started. All eye's were on him, well, beside's Molly's, "Why don't you just have taxicab's take us there? There are only 4 of us now so you can have 2 cabs, 2 kids in each, and than have 1 adult or maybe even two with them." Harry said leaning forward in his chair. "You don't have to get the Ministry's permission, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and I get to take the train, there's no way that Death eaters will think we will take Muggle transportation. So really no danger with them attacking. Plus there is a one in a billion chance that a death eater would kill our driver and take the drivers place and sneak attack us," Harry concluded.

"That is an excellent idea," Charlie said, "What do you think dad?"

"You're right, it is a excellent idea," He nodded, "Ron and Ginny could ride in one taxicab with Molly and I, and Harry, you and Hermione will ride in the other along with Tonks and Remus." He then turned his attention to Remus. "We won't need any more guards than that will we?"

Remus shook his head, "No, this sounds fine with me."

Everybody agrees than?" Arthur asked looking around at everybody, and guiltily looked back towards Harry, "Now, how do we exactly get these taxicabs?" He asked weakly.

"Don't worry Arthur, I'll make the arrangements," Remus said, laughing lightly.

"Dinners about ready, why don't you all go wash up?" Mrs. Weasley said finally moving from the stovetop and wiped her hands on a dish towel.

Harry nodded and left the table and walked from the room with Tonks and Remus behind him.

"Where are the others?" Tonks asked as they walked up the stairs

"In the sitting room I would guess. Ron said something about playing a game of chess against Ginny," He replied.

"I'll let them know dinner is done than," Remus said walking away

Tonks smiled and whispered to Harry, "I made a bet with Remus on the chess game, I'm banking on Ginny." Harry shook his head with a smile

"I'll come with you, I want to see if Ginny won or not," Tonks said catching up with Remus and skipping off towards the sitting room with him now trailing behind her.

"HA! I TOLD YOU SO! NOW PAY UP WEREWOLF!" Tonks voice carried through the hall way as Harry reached his door. He laughed aloud and shook his head, poor Ron.

--------------------------------------------

September 1st came around sooner than expected as Harry packed his last book in his trunk. He was somewhat excited to go back, but he would miss his freedom that he held when here at Grimmauld place because he knew that whatever freedom he had would vanish once he returned. Harry shrunk his trunk and pocketed it in his jeans. He heard Mrs. Weasley call up the stairs nearly 2 minutes ago that the cars were there and to and to get down there. He had let Hedwig fly ahead to Hogwarts instead of making her sit in her cage on the long ride to the castle.

Harry headed down the stairs, Hermione stood there with her book bag across her shoulders. A thin book clutched in her hands. Ginny, who stood against the wall next to Hermione, popped her bubble gum with irritation. Ginny's trunk floating inches from the ground next to her, where as Hermione's trunk was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Ronald?" Mrs. Weasley asked looking up the stairs towards Ron's bedroom door.

"He's coming, He waited to pack his trunk till the last minute." Ginny said popping her gum

Her mother looked disapprovingly at her and called up the stairs, "Ronald! Hurry up or we are leaving you behind and you can walk to Hogwarts!"

Ron came hastily out of his room struggling with his trunk as he dragged it down the stairs. "Where's your trunk, Mate?" He asked as he finally got to the last step.

"I shrunk it and put a feather-light charm on it." Harry said smiling at him wanting to laugh at Ron's facial expression, which was one of confusion.

"Good, do that to mine." He said standing up strait.

"He. Will. Not." Mrs. Weasley said angrily though her faced was controlled, "He shouldn't even be using magic out side of school. He should only use magic when necessary and at this moment, it isn't." She opened the door and unbewitched Ginny's trunk, "I don't even see why you need it shrunk, there is plenty of room in the car, don't you remember?"

Harry looked to Mr. Weasley who was slowly starting to turn red and started to sweat. He was rather glad Fred and George had refused to come back to school this year, or else Mr. Weasly would be sleeping on the couch the rest of his life because Molly would surely realize the space in the cars if there were more people than 5.

"Hermione, where is your trunk?" Ron asked looking around, "Did Harry shrink it for you?" He said with a hint envy in his voice

"No, Remus shrunk it for me last night." She said indicating to her bag.

"How are you going to change on the train if your trunk and all your things are shrunk? You can't unshrink it yourself can you?" He asked trying to tug at his trunk, it seemed to gain weight as it sat on the step.

Hermione held back a scowl, "I am capable of doing it myself. Even though it is none of your business, I have my clothes in my bag so I won't have to unshrink my trunk. Anyway, when we get to school the wards will return them back to normal," She said and picked up Crookshanks' cage, which Harry hadn't even notice was there, and walked out of the house.

"Bill, Charlie, take you sister's trunk to the car, Arthur can you help Ronald with his?" Mrs. Weasley said steering Ginny out of the door giving Ron an unreadable look.

Bill and Charlie walked over to Ginny's trunk and together picked it up and put it in the boot of the second taxicab; Arthur and Ron had placed Ron's in Hermione and Harry's taxicab.

Ginny smiled sadly to her brothers and hugged them both tightly. Hermione walked over to them setting Crookshanks down saying her goodbyes. Surprisingly they both looked at each other and hugged her.

"Ron, Ginny, your in with your mother and me," Mr. Weasley said ushering his children into the back seat with him, Mrs. Weasley sat in the front with the driver.

Tonks happily slid into the back seat and took the window behind the driver's side and Hermione slid in next to Tonks, being careful of Crookshanks, and Harry followed and sat next to Hermione before shutting the door. Remus finally got in the car and told the driver it was all right to leave.

Harry looked out the window, thinking of the press that where going to be at the platform. Why couldn't they ever leave them alone?

"Harry!" Hermione said nudging him in the ribs

"Huh?" He asked looking at her

"I asked if you could crack the window some. It's kind of stuffy in here." She said indicating to the window. She looked at him, "You okay?"

"Yup," He said unrolling the window half way, "That good?"

"Yeah, that's fine, thanks." She said giving him a strange look but sat back in her seat and tapped her fingers against Crookshanke's cage to the soft music playing on the taxicabs radio.

When they arrived to the platform barrier Ron and Ginny went through first followed by their parents, Tonks went through, followed by Harry and Hermione and then Remus.

The flashes of lighbulbs blinded Harry as he resurfaced on the platform, Hermione ran into Harry's back. He had suddenly wished that he had agreed to just Flooing to Hogwarts. Due the fact that Tonks had stopped unexpectedly, he too had stopped, causing the collision of Hermione to his back. He was blinking rapidly trying to regain his vision from the multitude of flashes.

"I think I've gone blind," Tonks whispered to Harry.

Harry cracked a smile despite his bad mood. He too felt as if he was going blind.

More cameras flashed went off and reporters called his name, "Harry!"

Harry pushed Tonks ahead and she seemed to readapt to her business like approach and yelled for a clearing, even once being able to threaten to hex somebody. Least to say, she was smiling by the time she got Harry and Hermione aboard the train.

"I saw Rita Seeker in that bunch," Hermione said looking out the window of the door disgustingly, "that evil hag."

Harry shrugged his shoulders in response, though Hermione hadn't seen the gesture.

"Lets find Ron and Ginny," Hermione said moving from the door,

"No need," Harry said pointing to Ron who came towards them, "we're sitting in that compartment with Loony and Neville," Ron said pointing to a door down the corridor

"Luna, Ron. Her name is Luna." Harry said pushing past Ron somewhat coldly. He hadn't known why he said it that manor. Maybe it was because he had known Luna was a good person, a bit crazy, but still a good person and didn't deserve to be made fun of or picked on the way she was. Or maybe even possibly he had realized that he had grown up in more than one way this summer and had passed this childish behavior to tolerate Ron and his antics. No matter, it had come out coldly, and deep down he had meant it to sound just that.

"Uh, oh, right. Sorry." Ron said somewhat sheepishly, "Luna and Neville are waiting in the compartment and are saving our seats." Harry who had already passed him entered the compartment and smiled at the occupants.

"Hey Luna, Neville. How were your summers?" He sat down, aware that Ron entered the compartment after him. Luna was reading an issue of The Quibbler.

"Mine was exquisite, my Father and I got to travel across Canada to visit my Uncle who lives close to somebody who knew somebody who knew where to find Nimplintons." She set her Quibbler down sadly on her crossed legs, "But as I was telling Ginny, My father and I didn't get to see any while we were there. But I didn't get to finish my story because she left when a boy came to get her to sit with him."

"How bout yours Neville?" He asked nodding to Luna.

Neville muttered something and looked down at his hands.

Harry gave Neville a look of confusion, "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't exactly understand you."

"He spent half his summer in St. Mungos," Luna said nodding her head sympathetically, "He had a fight with his, um... plant..."

Ron laughed, "What happened, Mate?"

Neville turned red, "I-I, um, well, you see what happened was-" He seemed to lose his courage as he twisted his hands in humiliation.

"Come on, you can tell us," Hermione said sitting down next to Harry, completely avoiding the open seat next to Luna. No matter if Harry liked Luna, Hermione surely didn't hold her in the best esteem.

"I was, um, arguing with my Gran you see. Well, she was yelling at me and I was just standing there listening..." He seemed to trail off and than started again, "Uh, right, so she was yelling at me and I was feeding and watering my plants. And one of my plants has this special food that it needs. If you feed it anything else is fatally dangerous. Well, she was yelling really loud and I hadn't noticed that I had fed the Jilagona plant the Pictoran's food and it attacked me with its vines..." Hermione gasped and Ron laughed. Harry just gave Neville a pitying look

"...They cured me within 2 days, but they wanted to keep me there for testing and observation..." Once again he trailed off

"Anything else eventful?" He asked when the silence became uncomfortable

"I got a new wand," he said pulling it out of his pant pocket, "It's a whole lot better than my old one," he said perking up showing it to them.

Harry nodded and leaned back into his seat, slightly aware Hermione was close enough to him for her leg to touch his. Luna had resumed reading her issue of The Quibbler and Ron had settled into the seat next to Hermione, even though it was a tight squeeze making Hermione even closer to Harry than before. Harry wonder silently to himself if it had been this crowded before, when he realized, they had grown up. He was no longer the scrawny little kid he was last year or the previous years before then. Ron had also grown out some, not much, but enough to make a difference in seating wise. But not so much to make it this crowded.

"Ugh," Harry heard Ron, so he looked over and realized what was making it crowded on the seat, Crookshanks was sitting next to Hermione and refused to move for Ron. "Hermione, can you move this thing?" He asked his butt half in the air above the cat and waving his hand franticly.

"Are you guys not supposed to be in the prefect compartment?" Neville asked looking at his watch wonderingly.

"Oh!" Hermione sprung up and rushed out of the compartment, Ron sighed and walked slowly after her muttering something about his mother and not being able to quit.

Harry laughed leaning over to pick up Crookshanks and setting the cat on his lap petting it. Harry heard the whistle of the train and the train jerked forward as the train began moving. He leaned into his seat and continued petting Hermione's cat. He looked out the window as the scenery passed by in a blur.

Harry heard the clearing of a throat and looked towards the door. Cho stood in their compartment timidly. Harry felt Crookshanks being pushed off of his lap not realizing that he was the one doing the pushing.

She smiled uncertainly. "Harry, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked nervously

He nodded and stood. Hermione entered the room at that moment and was startled before looking to Harry in question. Ron entered and sat down before he realized that Cho was in the compartment.

"I'll be back." He said to Hermione in particular, following Cho out of the compartment. He knew he no longer had feelings for Cho, he'd known that since last term. They had left things off on such bad terms, and for some reason he wanted to fix that. Cho led him into an empty compartment, which he noticed had people's things in it.

"It's my compartment," She told him awkwardly, "Lucy is head girl, and Janet is a prefect... I asked the others to leave so I could talk with you." She twisted her skirt in her hands, which was noticeably short. Her shirt was sleeveless and rather reveling. "W-would you like to sit?" She asked, he shook his head but when she sat he changed his mind and sat across from her.

"I wanted to talk to you about last year," She said after the silence fell in the compartment heavily, "I had a lot of thinking time this summer. I should have never said those things about Hermione and everything else. I should have understood that you and Hermione are only friends. B-but I've never seen two people so close of the opposite sex like you guys are..." She trailed off silently, "I'm sorry about that,"

Harry nodded, "It's okay, we've all grown up over the summer. We really had no choice." He said giving her a small smile and stood up.

She stood and smiled flirting with him, "You've grown up a lot over the summer." She suggestively scanned his body.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Uh-"

"I want us to start over." She said cutting him off. "I like _talking_ to you, and I don't want us not to _talk_." She said talk in a manor that didn't mean talking in particular, but Harry didn't pick up on it.

Thinking this innocent and couldn't bring any bad, he nodded, "I would like that, Cho." And before he knew it Cho had thrown her body onto his causing him to fall onto the seat. She kissed him passionately. It took a second of him to make his body to comply with his thoughts as he pushed her away from him. "Cho, I-I don't like you that way anymore." She was still on top of him; she looked at him her eyes cast downward.

"Am I not pretty enough for you?" She asked looking at him sadly

"Of course your pretty-"

"Am I not smart enough for you?"

"Of course your smart enough-"

"Than what's the problem? What's wrong with me that makes you not want me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, I just-" He was cut off with her kissing him once again. He was strong enough to pick her up and remove her from his body, breaking her kiss.

"Cho, you're a great girl, but I don't like you that way anymore."

"Why not?"

"I can't give you a reason for it but I just don't," Instead of the emotional-sad-Cho that he was use to, she became angry

"You were fine kissing me last year."

"We kissed once," He said, matching her anger, "We weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend. We went on a date where you went psychotic,"

"Only because you where going to go meet Hermione Granger on our date!" She yelled emphasizing the word 'our', "She was the problem with us!"

Harry stood, "You know what, I don't need this right now. Hermione was never our problem in our relationship, if that's what you wish to call it, so get over it." He said coldly and left the compartment, running right into Marietta who had been standing right in front of the door along with 3 other girls. He had now wished he had sound proofed the compartment, knowing they heard everything they said. He pushed his way threw them and stalked back down to his own compartment where Hermione was reading the thin book which she was holding earlier that day while Ron was playing chess with Neville, who looked to be losing, and Luna, who seemed to be still reading her issue of the Quibbler.

Ron looked up at Harry's arrival, "What'd she want?" He asked as one of his knights shattered one of Neville's Rookies

"Nothing important," He said sitting down in between Ron and Hermione, given that Hermione had taken his seat by the window.

Ron seemed to shrug it off, as he continued on with his game with Neville. Hermione hadn't given him even the slightest glance, which would have bothered him some time before today, but right now it just gave him relief.

Within the compartment things were quiet as they all carried on with their own enjoyments. Harry soon joined Ron and Neville in a game of exploding snap, Hermione continued on intensively reading her book, and Luna seemed to be reading her Quibbler backwards since she was now on the first page when earlier she seemed to be near the end. Ginny joined them in the compartment later, after the sun had set and the clouds had made the dark seem almost deafening. She had also joined in the rather intense game of exploding snap, which ended when Ginny forcefully throwing a card near Ron, which in turn exploded in Ron's face, causing him to leave the compartment to find a healer to fix the separation of his eyebrows from his face even though Hermione was capable of doing so herself.

Taking advantage of this, Hermione kicked Harry and Neville out of the compartment to allow the girls to change into their uniforms and in turn when Ron came back from the healer they in turn left the compartment so the boys could change.

Hermione and Ron went onto one last patrol after this and when they arrived back they where greeted with heaps of food in the compartment.

"Oh good, I'm starving. Though why so late? Less than an hour to go till Hogwarts, it's never this late." Ron said flopping down on a seat and grabbed a Chocolate frog.

"New lady," Neville said eating a pastry. "Kind of short, Blackish-bluish hair, really pale. Early 20's I'd say," He said sizing her up and trying to help Ron visualize her.

"Oh…" Ron said trailing off and giving the door a fleeting glance as if the lady would walk by, "When did she come by?"

"Right after you guys left." Harry said taking his feet from the seat across from him so Hermione could sit. Harry now sat by Luna and let Hermione continue to reside in "his" seat. She accepted the pastry Harry offered her and ate it silently.

"You okay?" He asked her after a second of studying her.

"Yes," Was all she said as she opened her book once again. Harry was intrigued to say the lease. He had been studying the thin book that Hermione clutched the whole day with interest. She was reading it fixedly but seemed to not gain advancement in pages. She hadn't let it out of her sight all day and never put it down. When she went to patrol the corridors with Ron she even took the book with her.

"What are you reading?" He asked conversationally

She look up over her book and gave him a raised eyebrow, "… a book," she said as if he was thick.

"No? I thought it was a rock. How foolish of me." He rolled his eyes and sat back watching her for a second as she let her eyes wonder back down to her book. This time less focused than before but focused enough to ignore Harry's questioning eyes.

Harry sighed lightly, looking out the window. A large bolt of lightning flashed through the sky and was quickly followed by a roar of thunder. A blanket of rain fell from the gray-black clouds and forcefully smashed against the window, obviously the wind was blowing towards the train rather than away from it. He leaned his head against the cold window, which happened to feel rather refreshing. Another bolt of lightning struck the sky followed by another. Hermione, who had been watching Harry from atop of her book, had looked out the window when he looked back to her to see her looking at him. The lights flickered off and than on again seconds later, which caused a rather loud curse from Ron. The lights flicked once again but did not turn back on.

" D-dementors again?" Neville asked, Harry could feel Neville's hand move threw the air, the motions it was sending out were hitting his sentences like a hammer. Harry could even see Neville's hand waving in the air as if he could touch the invisible dementors. Harry was able to see them all, not that this was natural, he had known that ritual would come in handy, not that he had told Hermione about it. She knew to much already of what he had done that summer. He saw Luna had put down her issue of the Quibbler and was looking towards Harry now, Hermione had her eyebrows forward and was looking worriedly out the window, while Ginny, who sat next to her, was looking over her shoulder to see if she could see anything threw the now the pouring rain. Ron had seemingly missed the importance of them sitting in the dark, was scratching the inside of his nose. Harry suppressed an eye roll.

" No..." Harry said looking back out his window giving into his eye roll towards Ron, though it was not evident in his voice, "I would be able to feel them if they were here." He shook his head though he knew it was useless, nobody could even see their hands in front of their own noses, let alone Harry shaking his head slowly. He looked back towards Hermione, "I'm going to guess the storm knocked out the power or something,"

Hermione now looked to where she knew Harry to be, "But you forget Harry, we're on a train that doesn't run its lights off electricity! It's run on magical power sources. Nothing can knock them out except something more powerful. Neville's assumption was a good one."

"I would be able to feel them though, so it can't be Dementors."

Hermione frowned, "I'll check with the Head Girl and Boy. They should know something." She said standing up setting her book on her chair.

" I'll come with," Ron offered and stood up almost immediately causing Crookshanks to hiss and find shelter under Harry's legs.

Hermione muttered a 'whatever' and walked from the compartment expertly without the need of light, but Ron tripped over Ginny's bag and than over Neville's foot even though he was sitting next to the door. " Hermione, wait up. I can't see."

Harry could hear Ginny snicker and light her wand, " Idiot," was what she said as she rolled her eyes. Harry blinked to adjust to the light. He didn't mind the dark, it's just that the light made him see white dots every time he blinked. Ginny slid her wand into the crack between the seats so it stood upright so she didn't need to hold it.

Harry's eyes strayed to Hermione's book in which she had left behind. Either it was in light of the events occurring and she merely forgot or it was to test Harry. Harry did very badly at tests, as most teachers would tell others, so Harry reached for the book and picked it up. He was aware that everybody's eyes were now on him if they hadn't been before. The book was thin and light, it was about7 inches in height and the base seemed to be less than 4 inches. It was a thickness that hardly compared to Hermione's usual readings, this was truly "light" reading. It looked like it only contained 20 pages. The front and back were both blank, the out side was a light-gray blue and the edges were torn and rippled at the edges. It was really old by the looks of it and as if it would fall apart within seconds of opening the fragile bindings. He hesitated and opened the cover and looked at the first page. In a neat, careful, cursive writing was written in French _Tout s'en va, tout passe, L'eau coule, et la coeur Oblie_

The translation was written beneath it in a completely different hand writing, _All goes away, all passes, water flows, the heart forgets._

Guilt hit him in a large wave, this was something personal by the looks of the first page, he went on though, curiosity getting the better of him. As he flip the first blank page he noticed the pages were tissue thin, like they had used back in the 1400's, where one drop of water could coil the whole page. As he turned the page he noticed a little star at the upper right hand corner. The page was filled with the script that was on the page before, just as neat and clearly English wasn't his Native language. Harry closed the book without even reading the first sentence, ashamed of himself. The guilt hit him even harder than before. He almost read something of Hermione's, her personal belongings when she clearly didn't want him to even know what she was reading. He shouldn't have even picked it up.

No, he didn't know if it was somehow related to her. It could be some homework assignment she had assigned herself. Maybe some book she found in the bookstore he had taken her to, though he hadn't noticed it before. But it was an easily ignored book. It was small and thin it could have been press between two large Volumes and Harry hadn't even noticed. But still, it wasn't his business to know what she was reading, now was it? Curiosity was dangerous when it was inside of Harry. It was like a hungry snake tempted with rat scurrying by its nose.

Hermione had been distant with him today and he wasn't sure why, but this clearly wasn't the way to make things better. Harry set the book down back where it laid before he had picked it up, "What is it about?" Neville asked

"Dunno," Harry said sitting back in his seat now, "I didn't read it, It felt wrong." He frowned

"Don't worry, we won't tell her you peeked," Ginny said comforting him slightly with a small smile.

He nodded, "Do we need that light?" He asked finally, he had closed his eyes and instead of seeing the darkness he usually saw, he saw a pinkish-beige color.

"Oh, no." She said putting out the light, but as soon as she did the lights flickered back on. "Back on," She said unnecessarily.

He sighed and propped his foot on Hermione's seat, she would be back soon enough but he was going to take advantage of her absence.

"What do you think the book's about than?" Ginny asked, "You read the first page didn't you?"

"Well, second, first was blank. But yeah, it was some quote in French." He said shrugging; he didn't tell her it was translated into English.

"Hmm," She said tossing the book back to its place. Hermione arrived soon after, looking agitated. "Lightning hit the front of the train's wards, blew out the lights," She sighed and noticed her book realizing that she had left it. "Oh, my book..." She said picking it up, Harry dropped his foot.

"Nobody looked at it did they?" She asked looking around the compartment some what embarrassed.

"Nope," Neville said, "It was pitch black the whole time. Didn't even notice it was there," he lied easily, looking at the book unconcerned.

Harry inwardly smiled, he was glad they didn't turn him in to Hermione. He didn't want her to be angry at him. For some reason, if she was, he doubted that he would want to eat at the feast, and he was starving.

"Oh, well, alright." She said stuffing the book into her bag and grabbing all of her things, "We'll be at Hogwarts in a couple of minutes, I have to go and help organize people off the train." She said rather distinctly and left the room, Ron running up to catch her.

"Now that makes me wonder what's in that book." Neville said looking after her.

Harry laughed.

ROTGL

The announcement of their arrival to the platform echoed through the train after Hermione had left that told them to leave their belongings on the train. Harry and the others filed off the train among the other students. Among them Harry watched the small first years nervously looking around. He himself found himself looking for the apparently absent Hagrid. Relief filled him when he saw his friend striding toward the platform quickly, he was just late.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" He yelled when he finally reached the hoard of students, he beamed when he saw Harry, "Harry! Yer all grown," He said shaking his head in memory,

Harry smiled, "I'll come down tomorrow to visit, you have first years to attend to," he laughed, glad to be back even if it meant less freedom. It never really stopped him before to break the rules, now he'll just be better at it.

Hagrid who had seemed to forget about the other students looked around him, "Firs' years! Any more firs' years? C'mon, follow me," He waved to Harry and led the first years away from the train and out of sight.

Harry looked around him and spotted Ron who was standing next to a carriage where Hermione stood on the second step, one hand on her him annoyed. Ginny had disappeared with Dean, and Neville and Luna were right behind him.

"Ron, for Merlin sake's, get over it." Hermione's voice reached Harry's ears at last when he got to their carriage.

"What's going on?" He asked looking at Ron.

"He wants to pet one," Hermione said annoyed

Harry eye's Ron silently who happily started to pet air. "Look! I'm petting it!" He said smugly to Hermione.

"Uh... Ron, Mate?" Harry said cautiously.

"Yeah?" He asked grinning

"Your petting his bum, and I don't think he like's it very much," Luna said with her wide eyes just as mysterious as they have ever been, but her voice was filled with seriousness.

Ron jumped back from the air and pulled his hand back and wiped it on his pants, Harry roared with laughter and entered the carriage after a laughing Hermione. Ron who was hysterical complained the whole way to the castle. "I. Hate. Invisible. Beast."

They were the third to last group to enter the Great Hall though they took their usual places at the Gryffindor table. Luna separated from them at sat at the Ravenclaw.

"Look, new DADA teacher," Harry said inclining his head to the teachers table.

A women in her mid-twenties was sitting next to Professor Flitwick and Snape whom she'd seemed to be in a rather deep conversation with. She had light blond hair that was twisted into a braid at the top of her head, he face was a side darker than pale, her lips were thin but in a small smile, and her robes were the basic black teaching robes which Dumbledore obviously discarded for himself. The Headmaster, had seemed to think Bright Purple was a fascinating color. He had his wizards hat topped with a fuzzy cotton ball painted pink. Bright glowing and moving stars where about his robes. His face was drawn but still held a smile, and his eyes twinkled less than they had the year before, but none the less, still twinkled as he watched the students assemble themselves in their seats.

McGonagall walked into the Great Hall with the first years walking timidly behind her. The Hall quieted down as they watch them walk down.

"Is it just me, or are they shrinking?" Ron said looking at the first years in wonder, "I mean, yeah, I know we're growing and all, but every year they seem to get smaller and smaller. This batch looks as if they could be 9 or something."

Harry only shrugged his shoulders in response and let his eyes wonder around the Hall. He let his eyes stray to the Slytherin table and found it to be missing quite a few students, one being Malfoy.

Ginny noticed also, "Where's Malfoy?"

Ron now looked. "Maybe he died," he suggested

Neville who had been looking also, "Don't get my hopes up."

Harry suppressed a laugh but the rest of the Gryffindors didn't.

McGonagall arrived to the front of the Staff Table were she disappeared and reappeared with the stool and Sorting Hat. She stood rather stiffly as she looked over the first years. The Hall once again quieted down.

"She must still be injured," Hermione whispered to him.

He nodded sadly and looked back to McGonagall. She placed the hat on the stool and the creases once again opened and started its yearly song.

"_As years have passed,_

_students place me on their heads_

_to be told what's in their minds_

_which house do they belong_

_Gryfindor where the brave and true of heart duel_

_Hufflepuff were the loyal reside_

_Ravenclaw of those who wish to prove themselves_

_and only those of working minds_

_Or Slytherin where those of Cunning dwell,_

_a mistake on my part_

_and some of yours as well._

_We are strong united_

_weakest divided_

_my message strong last year_

_None took it seriously_

_and suffering is what you will do_

_From within these walls_

_we are one_

_no matter which house you belong_

_A war inhabits this world_

_as you must have learned_

_only if you work together_

_shall you endure,_

_This year my warning strong and true,_

_same as last_

_My time is due_

_We must unite inside these walls_

_or we'll crumble from within_

_I have told you, I have warned you,_

_My job is only half way through,_

_Now on with each of you_

_to see which house you belong,_

_let the Sorting now begin."_

Harry joined in on the clapping as the song finish and let McGonagall quite the Hall down. "Now, when your name is called, you will come up here and sit on the stool and place the hat on your head. Upon hearing your house, you shall remove the hat and sit at your respective table." She pulled the scroll of names from beneath her arm were it was tucked, unrolling it she called out the first name, "Anderson, Stacy."

A little girl with bright blond hair walked coolly to the stool and sat and put the hat on her head. Seconds later the hat called out, "Slytherin!" She jumped from the stool and walked to her table where she sat in the mist of the fifth years, where one in particular had the same smirk on his face and patted her on her back.

"Andorra, Rick," McGonagall said moving on

"RAVENCLAW!" a large wave of applause came from the table as the house was called.

"Brian, Steven."

"GRYFINDOR!" The hat had called without even touching the boy's head.

Harry started to space off after the second student was placed into Gryfindor but was nudged back into attention by Hermione. He looked at her, "Ow," She in turn rolled her eyes and motioned her head towards the doors. He looked quickly and saw Malfoy walking quickly to his table while adjusting his robes. He greeted Crabb with a push and a low growl of "get out of my seat".

"Wonder what he was doing," Harry whispered knowing very well what Malfoy might have been up to.

"We'll check on it tomorrow." Hermione whispered back.

"No, I will do it. Don't worry about it." He said not even looking at her.

She scowled, "We'll look into it tomorrow. You're not doing it alone."

Harry watched the rest of the Sorting. As the last First year was sorted into Hufflepuff they all clapped.

Dumbledore Stood and looked around the student body, "Ah, a new school year! But I shall not bore you with a speech at this moment, but time will come where I must." He smiled, "But if I don't start the feast I daresay I may be pelted with food as soon as I do. So, Tuck in!"

The food appeared in front of them as Ron hungrily pulled food towards him. Harry shook his head at Ron and put food on his plate.

"So, Harry. How was your summer then?" Neville asked him.

Harry Swallowed his food, "It was okay, I guess." He said and went back to eating his food.

Neville gave him a questioning glace but went on talking to Dean about their summers.

The deserts appeared soon after but Harry was still eating his dinner, "Save me a piece of that," He said to Hermione who had taken the second to last piece of chocolate moose pie. She nodded and put the last piece of pie onto a plate and put it next to him.

Harry finished up his food and happily picked up his pie. Dumbledore stood while Harry took a fork and took a chunk from his pie. Dumbledore held his hands wide and the food disappeared before Harry could put the pie in his mouth. He looked at his fork which was now empty of pie. He looked to Hermione in protest and than back to his fork and than angrily whispered, "Old man." Only enough for the Gryffindor table to hear and let his fork hit his plate with a thunk and crossed his arms across his chest which made the whole table cracked up laughing.

The hall was looking at the Gryffindors questionably, who just out of nowhere had started to laugh. Dumbledore looked confused and cleared his throat, "Ah, well, to our newcomers, welcome, to our old hands- welcome back!

"Our Caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you students that magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes, nor anything that can be bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, along with numerous things which are all named in your common rooms.

"I am please to announce that we have a new addition to our staff. Mrs. Duncan," he said extending his hand to the women beside Snape who stood up, "has kindly accepted to fill the Defense Against the Dark arts teaching position," She smiled at them all as the applause started, she blushed and sat down and Snape said something to her which made her grin.

"She's Hot." Dean said looking at the teacher.

"Yeah," Ron said eagerly in response.

Harry would have had to agree fully with Ron and Dean, but knew if he did so out loud, he'd receive a rather large smack to the head.

"Lets just hope she can actually teach us something this year," Harry said looking at them. They all nodded in response

"If you wish to try out for your House Quidditch teams, they will take place in the second week of October, any questions please contact your Head of House. We are also looking for some new captains, if you're interested please do the same.

"Now, as you all know, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large." The Hall fell with a thick silence, "I can not emphasize enough the importance, now more than ever, to follow the rules here at Hogwarts. There is to be no student out and about after curfew, which has now been changed for your safety. No students may leave the premises of Hogwarts with out permission. Under NO circumstance may any student enter the Dark Forest. All students must attend all of their classes, attendance is mandatory and if you are not in class you shall be interrogated as to why not."

He looked around the Hall once more, "Now, before I dismiss you all to your warm and most welcoming beds, if you all will do me the pleasure of hearing your wonderful voices that I haven't heard in such a long time," He pulled out his wand and gave it a light flick and a the memorable long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself into words. "Now, everybody pick your favorite tune, and off we go.

The school bellowed:

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

As always, everybody finished the song at different times, "Ah, music," he said joyfully, "A magic beyond all we do here! Now, off to beds you trot!"

"Coming Harry?" Ron asked him rising from the table, "I don't have to walk the midgets this year."

Harry shook his head in response, "Nah, I need to talk with Dumbledore real fast, I'll catch up with you in the room."

"Alright, later." He said walking off, Hermione gave him a disbelieving look, "You're going to confront Malfoy aren't you?" She demanded

He gave her a serious look, "I swear I am going to talk to Dumbledore."

"Alright," She said slowly giving him a doubtful look as she left the Great Hall. Harry waited for the students to file out and walk to the Staff table where Dumbledore sat waiting for him, "Something on your mind Harry?" He smiled

"You made my pie disappear." He said thinking desperately of something to say

Dumbledore frowned, "Is that why the Gryffindors started to laugh?" He asked sadly, Harry only nodded.

"Well, I'm off to bed," He said bidding Dumbledore a good night and walked out of the Great Hall and into a secret passage way that lead to the Slytherin common room. Well, he didn't lie to Hermione. He did speak to Dumbledore, and he never denied his plans of confronting Malfoy.

He arrived in the corridor that had a fork in the way, one leading to the common room, and the other towards another set of stairs away from the Great Hall. Harry leaned against the wall and was hidden by the shadows. He knew Malfoy hadn't arrived yet, it takes longer to walk the right way than the passage way. Soon enough he heard Malfoy's voice, "That is none of your Business Crabb, what assignments the Dark Lord gives me is of no concern to you." Malfoy came into sight with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Parkinson flocking him. "I have business to attend to," he said dismissing them as they turned down the corridor to their common room.

Malfoy walked towards the opposite stair case down the opposite corridor. Harry cleared his throat and Malfoy turned to where he stood against the wall. He squinted and then scowled, "Hiding in the shadow's now are we, Potter?"

Harry smiled and pushed himself off the wall while Malfoy walked towards him. He was taller than Malfoy by at least 3 inches or so, so when he stood in front of him Malfoy glared, "Been eating your vegetables, Potter?"

He just smiled, "Something like that,"

"This is a very stupid Gryffindor move."

"Didn't you hear, Malfoy? Houses don't matter." Harry smiled a knowing smile, "Oh, that's right, you weren't in the Great Hall for the Hats song. Now where could _ferret boy _have been?" He asked in a some what patronizing tone.

"You've been keeping tabs on me? How special does that make me, then?" He asked crossing his arms glaring at Harry.

"Not very." He said, "What's your dad's old mate Voldemort up to now? I thought he was through employing incompetent morons to do his dirty work." Harry smiled lightly, "Speaking of which, how is your father?"

"You should know, you KILLED him!" Malfoy said losing his temper.

"Maybe," Harry shrugged, " maybe not. But he pretty much killed himself long before I was even born, when he gave his life to that murder." Harry said calmly, "Your dad signed away his life... your mother's, and yours." He added as an after thought. "He knew one day he would die, it just happened to me whom may have killed him."

"You're the murder." Malfoy said threw clenched teeth

"Me? No, not so much. I killed to survive, your dad and his mates kill for the fun of it-"

"They kill to purify our world!" Malfoy yelled

"Oh, so it's alright for people to kill others... as long as it's okay with _you_? Sorry to tell you, Malfoy, but Voldemort doesn't run his game like that. The powerful conquer over the weak. If you thought it otherwise, you're in the wrong business." Harry looked at him, "So you know as well as I do that's a morons' logic, 'To purify our world.' Voldemort kills for power, not to rid the world of 'unworthy' witches or wizards. He strives on the power of penetrating fear in others."

"Power is everything." Malfoy said

"Power is an unnatural force, Malfoy. Those who seek it can never have enough and are always fearful of someone taking it away. It corrupts those who want it, and Voldemort was and is its biggest pawn. A struggle is formed when you take power by force and use it against others, a struggle between self-preservation from those who wish to take the power from you, and an internal struggle of gaining more of it to stay ahead of perceived enemies. Voldemort is a murder, a coward, and a half-blood, but does not hold any power over those who oppose him and his lackeys. The same lackeys who do his bidding like trained dogs, looking for a treat after doing a trick. But none will ever be rewarded Malfoy, power is the only thing he has that you as Deatheaters want, why would he share it with them, you? When you guys are no longer needed Voldemort will dispense of all of you. He won't share power, he only takes it. Sooner or later you'll realize the only goal he has is to keep his power, and one day you might just get in the way of that. And I just hope I'm there to see it." Harry said

"The Dark Lord will enjoy killing you," Malfoy said in assurance

"I'm sure he will, but I'll take him with me if he succeeds. But hey, he's personally tried 5 times already, maybe he'll get lucky one day and have an anvil fall on my head, or something." Harry looked at Malfoy, "If you so decide to continue on with Voldemort and his followers, I will not hesitate to kill you when that time presents itself, nor will anybody else on my side."

"Is that a threat, Potter?" Malfoy asked daringly, He tried to look cool and collected, though it failed him by his face, which had paled against his already fair skin.

"No, it's a promise." Harry walked back to the secret passageway which opened without an incantation. Harry turned back to Malfoy glaring at his receding back, "So when you look at your arm everyday and see that skull and snake that's been branded into your skin like cattle, ask yourself if it was really worth your life and the ones you love?" Harry turned and walked threw the passageway. Harry didn't look back again before the passageway had closed, but if he had he wouldn't of seen a glaring Malfoy, but a worried one instead.

Harry found his way to the route he usually took when going to Gryffindor tower and walked up to the stairs towards the common room only to realize that he had forgotten to get the password from Ron. Harry silently cursed himself, he should have learned by now. He looked up to the portrait of the Fat Lady and smiled sweetly, "There's no way you would let me in without the password is there?"

She looked down at her dress and dusted off some imaginary dirt and looked up at him and simply said, "No."

Harry looked thoughtful for a second and sighed, "I guess I could go and find Dumbledore and ask him what the password is..." He said to himself out loud

"You should guess it, it _is_ rather simple," She said offering

He looked at her skeptically, "I doubt anything Hermione comes up with is simple." He said

She shrugged, "Always worth a guess than to sleep in the corridor and break a school rule in being out of bed, I'd say."

"Well, if I was sleeping, and the corridor was my bed, I really wouldn't be breaking a rule now would I? Or if I carried my bed into the corridor and slept out here on my bed, would that be breaking a rule?"

The Fat Lady couldn't reply as the Portrait swung open as Ginny poked her head out. "There you are, I've been checking out here every so often since Ron remembered he never gave you the password."

"Thanks," He said walking into the brightly lit common room which was surprisingly empty.

She gave him a small smile and a 'night' and walked to the girls stair case that lead to her dorm and stopped, she turned at looked at him, hesitating but finally asking, "You confronted Malfoy didn't you?"

Harry looked at her for a second, "Don't tell Hermione," he said half joking

She nodded, "Oh, the password is Dumbledore's Army," she said retreating up the stairs.

Harry smiled, he should have guessed that. He looked around the common room and decided to retreat to his own dorm. When he entered, the silence of the dorm was most welcoming so Harry happily traded his robes for just his boxers and fell into his cool bed. He sighed happily and closed his eyes. Ron's snores started up just as he closed his eyes, he let a smile come to his lips before he fell asleep.

----------------

I'M DONE, I'M DONE, I'M DONE! Finally! You do not know how had it was to get this chapter up dated. I wrote it more than 5 times due to lack of saving, computer problems, rewording, ex... Man oh man, it was longer but I cut out his trip back to his common room, he had talked to Hermione, but I can put that in the next chapter with Dumbledore's meeting and many many more wonderful plots! Yayyyy! Please, review my readers!


	17. September 2nd or I'm not jealous

Disclaimer: You know what, I do own Harry Potter. And you know what else, I also own God and the whole immortal plane, Along with Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and in addition, I own the world, along with everybody currently living on it, and you and any possible aliens who may walk amongst us. So Bow down to me. If you really think I own all of these things and people than you're a dimwit and you can send your life saving to me at 1004 Ocean Ave. Saint Marks, ILL. 45234 USA, Thank you.

Chapter 17:

Harry rolled out of bed at the sound of his alarm clock and felt a sudden chill. He looked down and frowned. Where were his pajamas? He rubbed his eyes in irritation and grabbed some things from his trunk padded barefoot across the wooden floor to the bathroom.

Harry brushed a comb threw his damp hair but it sprang back into its messy state. He sighed and threw the comb into his trunk. It was only a quarter to six as Harry made his way out of the dorm. Ron had informed Harry if he had ever dared to wake him up as early as Harry usually woke up, he would murder him before He-who-must-not-be-named got another chance to. Of course both of them knew Ron wouldn't have a chance in Hell in a duel with him, but Harry humored him nonetheless. Having taken this request, Harry decided to leave Ron in his deep slumber.

Reaching the Common Room, he flopped onto an armchair and let a leg hang lazily over the side. He had nothing to do until later in the morning and he had no intention of changing his sleep pattern whilst at school. Unable to use his time turner because it is possible somebody would notice, also since it had shattered during the attack at Privet Drive. So, since he was now lacking a time turner, he couldn't continue with his demanding study schedule which he had over the break. Meaning he would have to find less demanding study material to fill the free time.

With a light flick of his wand, Harry summoned his bag silently and opened it, pulling out a rather large text on Advance Defensive spells, figuring that he might as well do something productive and work on DA plans. Harry began to highlight different passages in the book he was reading that he thought would be useful for the DA to learn. (He had already known them all). Nearly an hour had passed when the Common Room began receiving the yawning bodies of the other Gryffindors.

"Morning Harry," Hermione greeted, sitting down in a chair opposite of him.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all knew he had intentions of continuing with the Association, as well as Dumbledore. He and Hermione worked out the first three months of meetings easily during the summer, he just need a few more lessons planned and he would be good till after Christmas break, allowing him to work on more time consuming things. Such as a few rituals that he still wanted to perform, including the Ritual of Enoch. But he still hadn't thought of anyway to convince Hermione to be his second. He knew she was capable of it for she had improved greatly over the summer with all of her private sessions with Harry and he was confident she could most likely learn the runes as easily as Harry. He was willing to put his life in her hands. The thing was, would she be willing take it?

"Morning," he said, highlighting another passage, the highlighter making a slight squeak as it passed along the thick paper.

Hermione's eyes widened in horror and disbelief, "W-what are you doing?" She demanded in a slightly raised voice.

Harry looked up at her with an expression of bewilderment, "Looking through this book for some DA plans?" He said with slow, questioning tone.

Her cheeks had paled in comparison to her usual tinted rose-colored ones, "You're highlighting a book," she said rather faintly.

Harry brought his brows together in wonder as he picked up his book to look at it and said in a sarcastic, surprised voice, "Oh look at that, I am!"

She blinked a few times, and added weakly, "A first addition too..." She trailed off looking longingly at the book as if she was going to snatch it out of Harry's grasp and run.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Hermione, it's a magic highlighter." He waved it around to show it to her, "It's harmless, and I will remove the marks when I have had proper time to write them down."

She looked unconvinced but nodded. "How did you sleep?" She asked nonchalantly, grabbing a book from his bag in the process.

Harry arched an eyebrow, "Fine." He frowned as looked at her, "How did you sleep?" He asked rather accusingly.

She looked up from the book, "I slept perfectly," She smiled at him, he took a turn to look unconvinced, "Don't give me that look, I actually slept like a baby," she went back to her book rolling her eyes in the process, "I would have been down sooner but I decided to sleep in a bit this morning."

Harry gave her a doubtful look but realized he was being silly and responded, "Yeah, we might as well continue on with your lessons," He said putting away his book, marking his page with a post-it note, tempted to dog-ear it, but didn't.

"Yeah?" she asked leaning back into her chair comfortably. "When?" she continued talking not looking up from the book

"Might have to wait till we get our schedules to make definite plans. I don't want to start in on Ron and Ginny's yet," He frowned. Sadly, he didn't think he would begin it at all. The more people who know about how he came to such power meant that there were more people that could possibly leak the information, even if it was just a slip of the tongue, to the wrong person. Who knew how many death eaters stalked the halls now a days. And it wasn't like Harry didn't trust Ron. It was the fact he sometimes spoke of things where the public could over hear, also when Harry and him fight, he doesn't care what he says, so in a sick way, Harry didn't truly trust his best mate. And how could Harry train his little sister and trust her with the secret when he couldn't trust his best mate? The answer was simple to Harry. He wouldn't. "Maybe we'll do it in the mornings. Unless you decide not to wake up early any longer with me, than we'll have to try and get away from Ron and Ginny or anybody else."

She nodded her head causing her hair to tumble in her face and Harry smirked. She looked up and tucked it behind her ears. "When's your meeting with Professor Dumbledore?" she asked shutting the book and handing it to Harry who in turn tucked it back into his bag.

"Not a clue, He'll find a way to tell me. Something involving a flock of colorful singing birds, something to draw attention..." He frowned in thought, "And cause embarrassment."

Hermione shook her head with a smile, "As long as he has a plan." Harry just shrugged in response.

Ginny came into the common room and joined Harry and Hermione moments later, flopping onto the couch. "The one thing about Hogwarts that I didn't miss during the summer was having waking up so early."

"Ginny, it's almost eight o'clock." Harry said, checking his watch.

She shrugged and started to pick at her nails. "Where's Ron? I'm hungry."

"Most likely still asleep," Harry said looking towards the dormitory stairs.

Hermione looked at Ginny, "What's up? You've never waited for Ron to eat before."

Ginny turned a chrisom red and stood up, "I'm not waiting for him, I just thought I'd eat Breakfast with my brother for once, seeing as I can't do that with out being interrogated I'll see you guys later." With that she walked out of the common room.

"Ginny-" Hermione called after her but the portrait shut before she could even begin to call Ginny back. "I just wanted to know why she was waiting," Hermione sighed, "She didn't need to get all defensive about it."

Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"Shouldn't you go wake him up?" Hermione asked sort of annoyed, "I am getting hungry, too. But I don't have an alternative motive to wait for him, which I think, Ginny happens to have"

Harry looked up the stairs and was about to agree when Ron came tumbling down in toll by Neville, Seamus, and Dean who seemed to be laughing at the beat red Ron.

"Sod off," he said pushing them away from him and walking out of the Common Room ignoring Hermione and Harry.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked rising from his chair picking up his bag in the process. He offered Hermione a hand but she irritably swatted it away and got out of her chair unassisted. Harry rolled his eyes walking over to the guys.

"Neville went to wake Ron up," Dean started, smiling broadly, "And when Neville pulled the curtains back he was greeted with Ron fondling his pillow."

Seamus reenacted it, snogging with the air while his hands moving suggestively.

"As diverting as this is may be," Harry said, making Seamus stop his performance, "I do believe Hermione is hungry," Harry ushered towards the door. "Maybe we should head down to breakfast before Ron ingests all the food in spite."

Harry, Hermione, Seamus, Neville, and Dean entered the Great Hall with little difficulties beside Dean tumbling down a flight of stairs forgetting to jump the trick stair.

"Well, isn't this an amusing morning?" Hermione said while seating herself at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny who had waved them over. Harry sat across from them. Hermione gave Ginny a frown, which, Harry missed due to the fact that Luna was walking up to the table.

"Hello Luna," he said acknowledging her presence. She gave a misty smile and sat next to him.

"Morning, Harry, Neville." She glance to her left and noticed Ron. "Oh, Ronald!" She clapped her hands together, "It seems congratulations are in order."

Ron frowned, "What for?"

"Why, the LoveShire bug has chosen you for its bare it's eggs of course."

Ron's frowned turned into bewilderment, "Huh?"

"The LoveShire bug is one of the most unique insects on our planet. They are almost impossible to catch and here you have its eggs just inside your ear canal. How exciting. I hope to be here for the hatching." She smiled fondly at Ron.

"What in Merlins name are you on about? I haven't any eggs in my ear canal." Ron declared a bit too loudly making McGonagall glare reproachfully towards the group.

"Yes you have," she said not changing her demeanor, still odd and carefree. She dreamily pointed to his ears which were tinged with red. "You see, your ears. This is a common reaction when a carrier has been chosen. The LoveShire bug burrowers its way into the ear and lays her eggs just below the ear drum. After she lays her eggs she dies." She sighed dramatically tucking her hands into her lap, "Pity, they are beautiful insects. Anyway, after she gives birth to her eggs, the excess juices that were emitted due to the birthing process seep into the canal and out of the ear and causes an irritation above the lobe of the ear." Ron's face started to color in embarrassment as the others began to snicker.

Luna smiled what she seemed to think was reassurance, "Don't worry."

"What should I have to worry about?" he asked, puzzled

"About the rumors," she said as if she had just said it was time for tea

"What rumors?" he asked, regretting the question after it left his tongue.

"Like I said it is nothing to worry about. It's just a myth."

"What's the myth, Loo- Luna?" Ginny asked despite Ron shaking his head vigorously at her.

"Oh, that when the LoveShire spawns are born they crawl into your brain and begin to feast and then eventually kill you." She sighed happily, "I hope I am around, I've only experienced it once before..."

Ron quickly stuck a finger into his ear frantically and started to move it as if he could feel the eggs.

"Ronald, what are you doing?" Luna asked concerned.

He stopped and looked as if he was a dear caught by headlights, "N-nothing." He resumed eating but kept bringing a hand up to his ear.

"I'll take my leave. I have to collect my schedule and will possibly be able to catch a few Randlepicks before class." With that Luna rose from the table and walked away.

"Mad she is..." Ron commented

"Just a bit, Mate." Dean said nodding his head.

"Oh! Schedules," Hermione said indicating towards McGonagall who walked up to them.

"Mr. Longbottom." She said handing him his, "I am glad to see Potions on your schedule. I see your Grandmother convinced you to take it." She said

Neville turned as red as Ron's LoveShire infested ears. "Um, yes ma'am," he muttered.

She gave him a curt nod and handed everybody else their own schedules.

"D-double potions first thing," Neville stuttered, "Are they trying to murder me?"

"You passed the O.W.L., Neville?" Ron asked shocked

"Well, not at first..." He grimaced, "I got a low A. But I talked with McGonagall before we all left for the summer. You know how we had the carrier advice and all? Well, McGonagall knew I want to be a Herbolagist and in order to be one I need N.E.W.T Potions, and she was informed that I hadn't passed the requirement..." He picked at his food not looking at any of them.

"How did she find that out before school ended?" Hermione asked perplexed

Neville turned a shade darker, "I guess Snape was laughing in his office that I wouldn't be attending his course any longer."

"That bloody git," Ginny said, patting Neville's shoulder.

"The bat can laugh? I hadn't thought it was possible," Ron said scowling towards the staff table.

Neville gave a weak smile. "Well, she suggested I take privet lessons in order to retake my O.W.L. for the last testing of the summer in July. My Gran couldn't afford a privet tutor so McGonagall offered to tutor me herself. My Gran jumped at the chance and I took lessons 3 times a week until I took my O.W.L. on the 29th." He shrugged

"So you passed with an O?" Ron asked

"Yeah, I was ecstatic... until I ran into Snape at the Ministry after my testing was through. He glared at me and said that he would do every thing in his power to stop me from attending his class in September," Neville tapped his fork against his plate absently.

"Well, when my course selections came about in August I told my Gran I no longer wanted to take Potions. She flipped, that's what she was yelling at me and I fed the plant the wrong feed..." He trailed off, but looked up at his friends, "So when I woke up she was there holding the course selection and had it all filled out with a quill to sign it. I told her I wasn't going to do it, so she gave me an option. Either I take the Potion's course or I take privet lessons until N.E.W.Ts come around."

Ron looked around at the group and asked what everybody was thinking; "Why didn't you just take the privet lessons?"

Neville licked his dry lips, "Because, my tutor was Snape... After curfew... in his dungeons."

"Where nobody would hear your screams," Dean said solemnly

"Nobody would notice you missing until morning, giving him time to stash the body, erasing the evidence."

"Or he could claim you made a potion incorrectly and it blew up and you were caught in the crossfire of the flames or whatever and he couldn't do anything to save you," Ginny said offhandedly. "Everybody has heard of what a horrible Potion maker you are, they wouldn't have any suspicions that he was lying..."

"Because there weren't any witnesses," Dean finalized.

"That's why I chose to sign the bloody thing. I wasn't going to just go and give Snape my neck."

Harry glanced at his schedule, he too had Double Potions first and then a free period.

"Harry had lessons with Snape last year and he's still standing," Dean said after a moment of silence. "And he passed his O.W.L." He pointed at Harry's schedule, "See, he's in the N.E.W.T. class,"

"Bloody hell, Harry. You didn't tell me that," Ron said snatching Harry's schedule from his hands. "But you were horrid in potions, Snape didn't teach-"

Harry glared at him and took back his schedule, "I retook my O.W.L. Ron, just like Neville here." He lied. How could he tell his friends he threatened Snape in order to enroll into N.E.W.T.s Potion?

Hermione gave Harry a look unbelieving look and crossed her arms. Clearly stating she would be bringing it up to him later.

Harry pilled some food onto his plate and started to tuck in. "So, this year's quidditch team is going to rule now that Umbridge is gone, huh?" Dean said breaking the silence.

"Your ban is lifted, right?" he asked Harry.

"It's lifted, but I'm not playing this year," Harry answered sipping his goblet ignoring the shocked looks of his fellow Gryffindors.

"Why in Merlin's name not?" Dean asked.

"I haven't any time for such trivial things this year," Harry said unfazed

"Trivial?" Ginny asked, "You love Quidditch."

Harry looked at Ginny, she knew he wasn't going to play this year why was she acting as if she had never known. "I like living more, as I believe you do also. It's in all our best interest if I don't play this year and put myself into my studies and lessons."

"We could win this year, its not like you can study 24/7 now can you?" She said with determination.

Harry cocked an eyebrow, "No, your right," He dried his mouth with his napkin, "I intend to sleep periodically."

"But I wanted to be a chaser this year," she said.

Harry blinked at her. "And me being on the team or not affects you doing so, how?" he asked, putting he napkin down.

"Well, I'll have to be seeker again since your not coming back."

"Really? Why's that?" Harry asked, everybody was now looking at Ginny.

"Because, I was Seeker last year because you were banned, and if you come back I would be able to try out for chaser because the Seeker position would be filled."

"I am pretty sure that Katie will be able to fill the seeker position now a new term has began and new prospects are available, Ginny." Harry said unfazed.

"Katie?" Ron asked looking up.

"Yeah, she's the new captain."

"She's captain? B-but she's a-" Ron was cut of by an out raged Hermione.

"If I hear 'girl' come out of your mouth Ronald Weasley, I swear to Merlin…" She shook her head, unknown what she would do to him, but knowing it would be painful.

Ron glared, "I wasn't going to say that." Clearly though, he was. "I was going to say, uh, she's a 7th year. She would have to be replaced at the end of the year."

"Yes, and she's been on the team just as long as I have. She was a second year if I recall correctly, we joined the team at the same time. Well, I joined late, so in fact, she's been on the team the longest out of all of us. I turned down the captainship due to not returning back to the team. I can't imagine anybody else for the job besides her and excluding myself."

"What about me!" Ron asked slightly outraged.

"What about you?" Harry asked.

"I could have been captain," he said proudly jabbing a figure into his chest.

"And Malfoy could have been born a girl," Harry said waving a hand dismissively, "what's your point?"

"You said you couldn't see anybody else being captain material,"

"Well, not in those words, but yes." Harry said looking at Ron with a frown, "You can't possibly think you could be a good captain."

"WHY NOT?" Ron demanded loudly, clearly angry.

"You can barley pay attention to the Quaffle due to the crowd, let alone the whole game in order to call plays, Ron." Harry shook his head cutting Ron's comeback off, "You're great at strategies Ron. Don't get me wrong, you are brilliant at chess, but you need absolute quiet in order to concentrate. You can't do that while you're playing on the field. Last year you barley made it through the season."

Ron angrily stood up and stalked out of the hall, shooting a glare at Harry before completely leaving.

"That was completely uncalled for, Harry!" Ginny said defending her brother

"He asked and I told him the truth. It's not my fault he couldn't handle it," he said insouciantly. "I wasn't going to patronize him and tell him he would make a phenomenal caption. That, Ginny, would just inspire false hope and when McGonagall passed him over for another person for the captaincy next year he'd be angry thinking, he was a shoe-in for it and that person stole it from him. He would believe he could handle it better, causing him to be a complete git to the new caption and not being a good sport about it."

"But you didn't need to tell him that how you did," Ginny said acrimoniously

"Better he find out sooner then later," he said shrugging.

"You are acting really heartless, Harry," she said standing. "I thought we knew you better." She walked away.

"Twice," Harry said looking to Hermione, "I have been called, by two entirely different women, heartless,"

"Well, it was a bit cruel," she said disapprovingly. "Even if it was correct, you were unjustified in so bluntly and brutally pointing it out. Especially in front of all his friends and classmates."

"So are you going to be shirty with me also?" he questioned.

"Well..." She frowned.

"Your not seriously considering it are you?" he demanded. "So I told Ron he wasn't Captain material, It was the bleeding truth for Merlin's sake. He'll get over it."

"Potter?" Malfoy snarled as he approached Harry.

"WHAT?" Harry yelled at him, already at the edge of his temper for the morning.

"Well, aren't you a bit moody this morning," he sneered with an air of smugness.

"I am not moody, Malfoy." Harry glared reproachfully at the Slytherin, "Now what could you possibly want?" he asked, irritated.

Malfoy crossed his arms against he chest. "What's an anvil and why would it fall on your head?" he asked coolly.

Harry stared puzzled at Malfoy before realizing he was questioning what he said last night and then he smirked, "Are you serious?"

"What is he talking about, Harry?" Hermione asked frowning, confused.

"Just tell me Potter!" Malfoy demanded quite hysterically.

Hermione's frowned deepened and suddenly her eye's lit up in understanding and infuriation. "You confronted, Malfoy! AFTER you promised me you were going to speak with the headmaster!"

Harry merely shrugged. "I did speak with the Old Man, I never denied my intentions of confronting Malfoy. I in no way, lied, nor broke a promise."

"How Slytherin of you, Scar Head."

"Come up with some new insults, Malfoy. These are unimaginative and are becoming rather tiresome."

"I can not believe you would confront-"

"This is not the time or place to be discussing this Hermione," Harry said, cutting her off and clearly telling her to drop it. "Why are you over here bothering me, Malfoy?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"I just want to know what an Anvil is and why one would happen to fall on your head," the pompous boy said, exasperated.

Dean snorted into his goblet, clearly knowing what an Anvil was and why it would fall on somebody's head.

"Been bugging, you hasn't it?" Harry smiled knowingly rising from his chair, shooting Dean a grin. Malfoy unconsciously stepped back slightly, his arms still crossed.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," he leered.

Harry smirked. "If it's bugging you so much that you had to ask me I can't wait to see who you will attempt to ask next after coming from this conversation without your answer."

"What is it, damn it!" Malfoy demanded losing all composure and stomped his foot like a 3 year old.

Harry raised an eyebrow and continued to smirk, "Nah, I'd rather not. How bout you go and ask a Muggleborn? I'm sure they will be willing to inform you..." Harry grinned, "Good luck." With that, he picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder, "I'd love to stick around and watch you ask some random students but I have a class to get to. Hermione?"

Hermione stood up and followed Harry out of the hall.

----

"Hermione?" Harry asked as they reached the dungeons. She had been giving him the silent treatment since they had left the Great hall nearly 15 minutes ago.

Hermione turned her head so she couldn't look at him.

Harry let out a growl, "So I confronted Malfoy-"

"You seem to be doing this a lot," Hermione spoke calmly, "saying one thing, doing another."

"How so?" he asked dropping his bag on the ground.

"It's not the point," she said wheeling around to face him. He had a good 6 inches on her so she had to look up to meet his eyes.

"I think it is," he said angrily.

"No, its not. I thought you and I would confront Malfoy. Along with Ron. You seem to be turning us against you."

Harry rolled his eyes, "not this again."

"Yes, this again. Before you were obvious about it, just clearly telling us we couldn't handle something and pushing us away, but now you're taking a new approach to it. Now you're making us angry and fighting with us about these trivial things so you can go off and do what ever you please on your own, without having to worry about us worrying where you're at or what you are doing and us wanting to come along."

Harry crossed his arms, she's a smart cookie. "Can I never please you, Hermione?" he asked as he leaned against the cold stone wall.

"I just want to be involved," she said wearily brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"You are involved," Harry said shrugging, "by understanding I need to do some things by myself. By striving to improve in our lessons and just being my friend and not my mother. I don't need one."

She smiled lightly, "maybe you do, a little."

Harry suppressed an urge to roll his eyes. "Nah, I'm good." He pushed himself off the wall and grabbed his bag noticing other students started to arrive. "I'll bring you along next time," he whispered unsure to why he even said it.

She glanced at him surprised. "Really?" she asked as students started to move around her to enter the class room.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," he said in a low voice placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her into the class room before the bell rang realizing it was indeed true.

Harry sat down in a chair that was towards the back of the room. Just because he was in the class and there was no possible way he could actually get kicked out didn't mean that Snape wouldn't take as many chances as he could to call on Harry and try to make an utter fool out of the-boy-who-made-his-life-hell.

Hermione sat in the seat next to him just as Snape entered the room, like the bat that he was. His black robes billowed around his feet with the gust of wind that flowed around him as he swiftly made his way to the front of the class room.

"Pitiful," he spat bitterly. "Only 12 students could pass a middling test in order to enter this class." Snape crossed his arms and looked around the class. "Pathetic, but you have showed that you could pass a simple test, you proved that you may be worth a knut when you leave Hogwarts the year after next. As you see, there are an even amount of students in this class, meaning you will be partnered for the rest of the term. Even if the amount of students here may be convenient, I will not hesitate to remove you from this course. I am in no manner obligated to teach you if you are not willing to put aside time in order to learn."

Snape uncrossed his arms as he walked behind his desk to the chalk board. "Now, this is N.E.W.T. level potion's. Only the talented may pass this class. You will not pass if you haven't any of the wit necessary when it comes to brewing a perfect potion. Some of you have experienced such a success…" He looked towards Harry and sneered, "And some of you will never enjoy the pleasure." A snicker was heard from the front of the class, obviously Malfoy found something highly amusing.

"This class will be one of the hardest courses you will ever take; I do not permit insolence and stupidity. In class you shall learn to brew a faultless Riashilds ferment, Wolfsbane, Veritaserum, and Poly juice potion, among others. I, under no circumstances, will tolerate any fooling around. These Potions shall never leave this room and if I hear any word that they have, you will be expelled immediately and your wand will be snapped in an instant. The Headmaster has given me his permission along with the Board of Governors that I may teach you these potions for your education. Before last year, all 4 of these potions where on the banned list, you will be the first class to be taught these potions in over 16 years, not since I myself was in school."

Hermione's hand spontaneously rose into the air the second he made this statement, her head not even glancing up from her notes to see Snape glaring at her hand in annoyance.

"What could you possibly have to say 5 minutes into my lesson, Ms. Granger?"

"I thought Wolfsbane was a recent development." She asked not looking up still writing down notes even though Snape hadn't told them to do so.

Snape glowered at her and gestured a hand dismissively, "It is, as I'm sure you could have figured out, that I meant the other three potions since your so observant, Ms. Granger. But I see that you feel it your responsibility to try and call me out during my class. That will be 5 points from Gryffindor for being impertinent and disrespectful."

Hermione whipped her head up in surprised, "W-what?"

"Now that you're done pointing out my lack of elaboration, I would like to continue my lesson." He glared, "If that is okay with you, Ms. Granger."

Hermione turned a bright shade of pink and looked down at her parchment. Harry wanted to punch him, not only did he take away points for a mere observation from Hermione, but he insulted her and embarrassed her in front of their classmates on the first day. Harry scooted his chair back loudly and was about to stand up with a glare to match Snape's.

"Harry! Sit down!" Hermione whispered fiercely holding onto his arm so he was only inches of his chair.

"Yes, Potter. Sit. Down." Snape said advancing towards Harry. "We wouldn't need the famous Harry Potter to be kick out of his first class on the first day."

"Surely be worth it, eh?" Harry said shrugging Hermione's hand off his arm and stood up defiantly

"There's that emotion problem you have." Snape mocked with an angrily glare, "You need to control it."

"I haven't noticed it as a problem, more like fuel and you seem to be lighting the match, and I warn you, when gasoline is ignited there no way to extinguish the flame without being wounded in the process. So I warn you now, as I have before, don't play with fire unless you're willing to get burned." Harry smirked, "And I think I have it in check, since I have controlled my self well enough for you to be still standing."

"You dare threaten me in my classroom, Potter?" Snape asked his hand itching towards his wand.

"Oh no no no, Merlin no. I would have to be a coward to do such a thing. That would a Sytherin thing to do. That would be low of me to threaten and provoke a Professor in front of students knowing that you, as the Professor, couldn't curse, jinx, or attack me," Harry smiled a menacing smile, "No, I merely suggested to not play with fire, safety procedure. After all, we are in a potion's class, aren't we Professor Snape?" He bit out Professor with impertinence

Snape stepped closer to Harry, "You'll learn Potter, nobody disrespects me or threatens me in my own classroom and gets away with it." He spat low enough for only Harry to hear him, even though every eye in the class was on the pair.

"Usually a threat is an empty one, Snape." Harry leaned just close enough to make his next statement more imperative, "That was a promise. And we all know I don't break promises." Harry took a step back, "Well, I suppose your right, Professor. Now that the safety procedures have been covered pretty well why don't I sit back down and you can get on with… teaching?" Harry pulled his seat under him and sat.

"Another 10 points from Gryffindor and a detention," Snape said turning on his heel.

Harry smirked at the thought that Snape had a difficult time controlling his own emotions.

It was a rather childish move to make, especially in front of the whole class, it would surely be around the whole school by third period, second by his luck. He would surley pay for this in his lesson with Snape on Monday. Harry knew if Snape didn't have a problem with the whole dying at the hand of Voldemort thing, Harry wouldn't be surprised if he kicked Harry out of the class and refused to teach him anything form that day forth. He could take that thought of Snape refusing to teach him as far as Snape refusing to teach his children's children's grandchildren if he lived that long.

So, Harry knew very well that since Snape couldn't kick him out of his class that he would be enduring pain when his lesson eventually arrived and with the detention he just received, no doubt with the greasy bat himself.

Harry sighed mentally and checked his watch and notice not 10 minutes had passed and he already lost Gryffindor points it probably didn't have to loose in the first place, and he had detention. This must be a record.

"Since you have no doubt forgotten everything I have ever taught you, I will be administrating a pre-test of sorts. I want to know everything you know before I waste my time trying to teach you something that you haven't the brain nor the intellect to process or understand." Snape flicked his wand over the board and the chalk rose into the air before beginning to write out questions. "Answer these fully and in complete sentences. Try to sound if you have a smidgen of intelligence in those skulls of yours and don't repeat your answers in some vain attempt to try and pretend you know what your talking about by filling the parchment, like so many of you have done in the previous five years. You may begin when you have your parchment and quill out."

Harry read the board and concealed the smile that was trying to surface. Not only had he read the Advance Potion Brewing book that was assigned as the class book for the year and understood what he had read, he had made each and every potion the questions involved. He never could have imagined that those rituals would save his hide in more ways the one.

Harry dipped his quill into the ink and began his test, explaining in detail the answer to each and every question correctly.

.--

"He was red, Harry. Like a rotten tomato!" Neville exclaimed excitedly

"Who was?" Ron asked coming up to his friends, just having walked into the corridor that lead to the Gryffindor common room. They had a free period, lunch, and then charms. After that, Harry and Ron where both done with classes where as Hermione had Ancient Ruins.

"Snape was, when he read Harry's test to the entire class before the bell. He stopped 2 sentences in, realizing Harry knew what he was talking about. He couldn't find anything wrong with it." Neville laughed, "I knew a few answers and all but Harry was brilliant."

Ron smiled and thumped Harry on the back. "The stupid git," he said with disgust. Apparently Ron had forgotten all about the commotion before and during breakfast and Harry's comment of the captain issue. "Now, a nice long nap before lunch sounds mighty tempting if I do say so myself. Though I seemed to be able to catch wink in Divinations. I have that old Hag every Thursday and I have the horse bloke on Monday's. Guess Dumbledore didn't have the heart to sack one of them, let alone both. Just get rid of the bloody subject if you ask me. As it is, they're splitting the N.E.W.T. classes between the two of 'em and altering between the two for the years before that, I guess."

"He's a Centaur, Ron! Not a horse and his name is Firenze," Hermione replied, annoyed with Ron even though he had only been around her for a moment.

"If I remember correctly, Hermione you called him a horse last year. I believe your exact words were 'I don't like horses'." Ron said waving his hands around madly

"No, she said, 'I've never really liked horses'," Harry chimed in, rolling his eyes as he smacked Ron upside the head

"What's the difference? How was I supposed to remember exactly what she said over lunch last year?" Ron stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady and said the password.

"Breakfast, Ron." Harry corrected him, "and the point is that if you quote Hermione exactly and you happen to incorrectly quote her, it proves that you're even more brainless then you let on to be." Harry smirked lightly in humor as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open to let the group of Gryffindors into their common room.

Neville roared with laughter and stumbled on the large step to the common room causing him to fall through the portrait hole, followed by Ron, who hadn't noticed the sudden disappearance of his dorm mate. Harry stepped over them and rolled his eyes before sitting lazily in an arm chair. The others soon followed.

Harry looked to Hermione who hadn't spoken since the beginning of double Potions nearly 2 hours ago. "Hey, you okay?" Harry asked after Ron and Neville struck up a conversation on which Weird Sister was hotter.

She strained a smile, "Yeah."

"Oh, well, that means 'Harry, you're an arse' in girl," he said smirking, not really knowing if that's what that meant. He may be smart, but he's not psychic.

She shook her head and looked at the fire solemnly. "No, you've done nothing wrong..." She sighed again.

"Is it what Snape said?" he asked uncertainly.

Hermione played with the hem of her skirt for a few moments. "Am I really that bad?" she finally asked. "Am I really a know it all?"

"Your smart, if that's what you mean." The look she gave Harry clearly stated that's not what she meant in the least. "You're the smartest witch of our age, Hermione. How can you be ashamed of that? Snape, well, he just has Dumbledore's wand shoved so far up his arse like a puppet, that he's taking it out on every body else."

Hermione looked back at her hands, "I lost points on the first day-"

"So did I," Harry shrugged.

"Only because you defended me, which, by the way, was stupid," she said twisting her fingers together and then untwining them and then repeating it again.

"I never claimed to be smart."

"Your lucky he didn't kick you out."

"Luck's got nothing to do with it," Harry muttered inaudibly but shrugged as Hermione let her gaze find him. "Well, I guess Lady Luck is on my side today."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, which by her expression was a question, but shut her mouth as quickly as she opened it.

"What?" he asked, almost fearing the question.

"Well..." She glance at Ron and Neville, who where playing a loud game of Wizarding chess, and then back to Harry. "How'd you get in Potions, Harry? I mean, you didn't take lessons, did you? Because you never told me you did, and you said you told me everything. You said you were by yourself the whole summer before the attack. I mean I guess you could have taught yourself like you did everything else, but that doesn't explain how you took the retakes. I was with you when the last testing was scheduled and there were only two. One was at the very beginning of the summer and the other one was the one Neville took so-" She leaned forward in the Hermione-ever-so-expression.

"Snape decided to let me in, something changed his mind, and who am I to complain?" Harry said. Suddenly, he wanted out of this conversation. It seemed Hermione not only knew the right answers but also knew the right questions to ask too. She was way too smart for her own good, or at least, Harry's own good.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, I just want to know." She said in an excited voice, her I-wanna-learn-something-new voice Harry unconsciously registered. Harry mentally shook his head, wondering what the hell is he thinking, how would he know which voice or expression she used?

"Really, I don't know. He told me after my birthday party, when we talked, and that's when he decided that he would continue my lessons and allow me into the course. I think Dumbledore had something to do with it," Harry said, his voice not disclosing if he was lying or not. Hermione seemed to believe him.

'_Why shouldn't she believe you?' _Harry heard a voice asked in his head, a scolding tone evident while the voice spoke to him. _'You've never strait out lied to her before.' _Harry shrugged the voice off with annoyance and focused back on Hermione who flopped back comfortably against her armchair

"Well, it is very curious," she said with a thoughtful expression but a smile quickly spread across her features. "But, no need to worry about such a good thing, hmm? Because you seem to deserve to be in the class, no doubt about it. You certainly knew what you were talking about." Her smile faltered slightly, "Even I didn't know all that you did."

Harry smile reassuringly at her, "I only knew because I've made them all. I'm sure you did fantastic on the Poly Juice potion."

She nodded and the smile never left her face, "now that your all smart and everything. You do still need me around don't you?" She asked rather nonchalantly, but Harry noticed a bit of defensive edge to it.

"Of course, I couldn't do it with out you," he replied. Hermione blushed a bit and Harry frowned, "I mean, who else will tell me to do my home work?" He added quickly with an airy tone making Hermione laugh and roll her eyes in a very feminine manner.

"Oh, is that the only reason I'm around?"

"Nah, there's the whole best friend gig," Harry quipped, tossing her the book she had been reading earlier and opening the one he had been highlighting. "Best get this done before Lunch. I don't feel like wasting anymore time procrastinating about it. I just want to get it done so we can work on something else."

"We?" Hermione asked smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't make me regret it now."

"Regret what?" Ron asked plopping down in the armchair next to Hermione's, causing Harry to notice her tense slightly.

"Regret letting her help with the D.A. plans," Harry said easily, "You wanna grab a book and help?"

Ron's eyes widened slightly and looked quickly to Hermione and then back to Harry, "Uh, um, no thanks. I forgot Neville asked me to, er, do something-" With that Harry watched Ron bolt from his seat and take the stairs to the boys dorm two at a time.

"Are you angry with Ron? He doesn't seem to notice but you seem a bit... odd every time he's around." Harry asked taking his eyes away from the stairs started to copying down the highlighted sections from the book.

"Um, no, I'm not." She said reading the book with out even glancing at him.

"Alright," Harry said picking up his bag to look for a book which he noticed was absent. "Well, crap. I'll be right back; I've seemed to have forgotten a book in my dorm." With that Harry stood and left Hermione to slump in her chair and put her head in her hands.

--R-OT-GL--

"Hey, have you seen my book. It's about 2 inches thick, looks like an old journal... well, it is an old journal." Harry asked looking through the first compartment of his trunk. "Oh, never mind. Found it." Harry straitened his back and looked at Ron who was lying on his bed face down. "Are you alright, Mate?"

"Ishaked myknee too beshmah grillend." Ron said, his voice obviously muffled by the fact that his face was buried deep within his pillow.

"Uh, I didn't really catch that unless it had to have something to do with your grilled end," Harry said perplexed.

Ron sat up and heaved a great sigh. "Last night, me and Hermione were sitting in the common waiting for you to get back and everybody had gone to bed already and well, I thought it would be a perfect time for us to talk..." Ron trailed off looking rather put out.

"Talk about what?" Harry asked sitting on his closed trunk and leaned his elbows against his legs.

"About us-I mean, me and her." Ron said turning a bright color of red.

"...What about you and her?" Harry asked still utterly confused.

"Well, you know how I've fancied her for a while now-" Ron shrugged but was still a bright shade of red

Harry nodded slightly. Of course Harry knew Ron sort of fancied Hermione, but this had defiantly taken Harry by surprised. Harry knew Ron held some sort of torch for Hermione since the Yull ball, but he hadn't heard anything of them dating,_ nothing _of Hermione sharing those feelings that Ron felt for her.

"Well, she has to fancy me too."

"Really? She has to?" Harry asked getting rather defensive towards the thought of Hermione fancying Ron.

"Well, after everything from last year, I think she's realized it finally. I think that sort of influenced it now I'm on the Quidditch team and all."

Clearly Ron didn't know Hermione if he thought she'd care about a stupid game. How could somebody like somebody else with out knowing who they really are? "Oh?" Harry said still trying to process possibility that Hermione could like him back.

"Yeah, so since we where alone last night I thought I'd bring it up."

Harry nodded slightly numb, why though, he didn't know.

"Well, I told her that I thought we should go out, you know? Like to the next Hogsmeade trip together, nothing official until then."

Harry just stared at Ron who seemed to take that as a sign of encouragement to continue on with his little anecdote, "And she told me that she's give it some thought. I keep trying to get up the courage before class to ask her about her decision today but I keep chickening out and the time just seems to never be right." Ron gave another sigh. "I think she's going to say no because what it would do to the trio," he spat out trio with anger, "and you." He added as an after thought with out any emotion.

Harry nodded and stood up and walked from the dorm room without a word to Ron and down the stairs in an auto trance forgetting the reason he had first went to his dorm. Harry walked over to his seat and sat and looked at Hermione and then picked up the book thinking if he should say what he needed to say. "Hermione?" Hermione who was reading the book he had handed her looked up at him curiously.

"Uh-" Harry took a staggered breath and continued on, "I think you and Ron should go to Hogsmeade together. I think it's a good idea. You don't have to worry about me if that's why you haven't given him an answer yet..." Not knowing why but Harry felt like taking the sentences he just said and swallowing them whole.

"Y-you do?" She asked with forward brows.

"Yeah, I mean if you two fancy one another then you should do it. Life is short, live it while you can." He said not looking up from his book but flipping the pages. An uncomfortable silence grew between them.

Hermione was watching Harry read his book with determination. _Maybe if I... _She thought as she bit her lip. After Harry had read the same sentence eight times and about a minute had passed Hermione finally broke the silence deciding something in her mind.

"Well, if you want me to go..." She asked cocking her head to the side watching his reaction

"I do." He said nodding quickly cutting her off, "If you're worried about how I feel, I'm okay with it."

She seemed slightly disappointed for some reason, "O-okay. I'll say yes to him then, next Hogsmeade trip I'll go with Ron... on a date." She said biting her lip still watching him

Harry gave a strained smile. "Yeah, sounds cool." Harry checked his watch, "Well, I'm going to go to the kitchens to see Dobby, since I haven't anything to do."

Hermione held back a satisfied smile and looked around her at the D.A. plans, clearly wondering what he meant as they had loads left to do. She knew of course he was trying to escape and that gave her a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe he would say _something_ or _anything _about_ them_. She mentally sighed, "Oh, is Dobby here?" She asked instead.

"Yeah, Dobby wanted to see Winky because he missed her, so I told him he could come and work here for me if he wanted..." Harry trailed off and stood, "So I'll see you in Charms." In his haste to escape the common room he left his book bag behind along with all of his things with Hermione smiling softly to her book.

-

"Well, it makes perfect sense why Hermione didn't sleep very well last night," Harry thought to himself as he walked along the corridor to the kitchens. "She was up thinking about Ron." The very thought made Harry's stomach turn, "And since she stayed up so late thinking of him, she over slept." Harry sighed, "As long as they are happy, I'm happy for them." He nodded vigorously trying to convince the feeling in the lower part of his stomach that it was indeed true. But no matter what he said to himself, he could stop thinking about how much he hated his best mate at that very moment.

-

"H-harry Potter?" A small first year boy asked as he approached Harry who was sitting in a windowsill along one of the outside corridors. Charms had only ended less then an hour before.

"What do you want?" Harry asked annoyed, not even glancing at the young boy. Since free period he had been in a right state and people seemed to realize they needed to stay clear of the boy-who-lived. Even the teachers followed the non-verbalized advice. Well, Flitwick may have perhaps told the other teachers to stay clear since Harry had been rather... snippy in his class after lunch.

"O-o-h, Well, I, um, well you see-" the boy stuttered.

"If you have something to say spit it out or go away," Harry snapped, "I'd rather the latter."

"H-headmaster Dumbledore sent me to deliver you a message," The boy squeaked rather hurriedly and had a scroll in his hand in which Harry snatched before nodded at him in dismissal. The boy took a hesitant step away from Harry and then fled as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Harry unrolled the scroll and then burned it as he made his way to the Headmaster office. With out a password, the statue move aside and Harry descended the marble stair case to the large oak doors which where slightly ajar. Harry, taking this sign as an invitation, pushed open the door to be greeted by a sight of Dumbledore bent over a cauldron and the smell of… "Burnt chocolate?" Harry asked, sniffing the air hesitantly.

Dumbledore straitened his back and turned towards the door. "Ah! Harry, how nice to see you. Come in, come in. Please, have a seat," he gestured to a chair which Harry took silently. Harry eyed the cauldron and looked at Dumbledore questionably.

Dumbledore nodded sadly and walked behind his desk and sat in his chair. "Well, when I was strolling through a muggle town this morning after a meeting I had with an old friend. He is a rather pleasant fellow, I think you'll like him. I invited him to one of our sessions next week so you could- Oh right," Dumbledore smiled at Harry who was glaring at him in return, "You know, you could rival Severus's glare... oh, um, right. Anyway, back to the point. I was walking along the road when I came across this quaint little shop that had these pots in the window. Being me, the curious fellow before you, I decided to enter this shop. Along the walls where all these different types of muggle pans and cups of sorts. I was, to say the least, completely fascinated when I came across a cauldron looking pot.****Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you could melt chocolate in it and eat it in a sort of liquid form or you could dip a piece of fruit in it so it would be chocolate covered. You could also melt all sorts of things in it such as cheese. I haven't a clue as to why you would dunk fruit into cheese... Anyway, I felt it would be nice to have at certain meetings, a welcoming item you could call it. Sadly, I had seemed to have had left my muggle money in my other robes so I couldn't purchase the wonderful pot. I didn't think it would be that difficult to melt the chocolate in my own cauldron, and so here I am..."

"With burnt chocolate." Harry finished.

Dumbledore sighed, "Yes, well, I guess it isn't the same..."

"Its called a Fondu pot, sir," Harry informed the old man. "It slowly cooks the item evenly in order to keep it from boiling or burning."

"Oh well, it was worth a try." Dumbledore said unconcerned, swishing his wand clearing the cauldron of the chocolate.

"It still smells like brunt chocolate," Harry said with a smirk.

Dumbledore nodded. "I haven't the skill to freshen the air; that was always my brother's expertise." Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard that Harry knew of, knowing he wasn't skilled at something seemed impossible but households spells aren't really Harry's criteria either.

"Oh," Harry said surprise. He never really heard Dumbledore speak of his Brother, really he hadn't known Dumbledore had one until Mad-eye Moody told him so last year.

"I never got it down. Every time I have tried to freshen the air it smells worse then it did before. So I must say we are stuck with the smell of my failure. Unless of course you wish for the room to smell of rotten fruit," Dumbledore smiled as if he was joking but Harry highly doubted that he was. "I'm glad my letter got to you," he continued, quickly changing the subject. "I was rather skeptical that the boy would make it to you with out soiling himself in excitement."

"Yes, and the reason you couldn't just deliver it like normal person is what, exactly?"

"Well, he seemed so excited at the prospect of delivering a message to the great Harry Potter."

"What did you do?" Harry asked, "Go up to him and ask him to deliver a message to me?"

"No, of course not. I am more subtle than that," he deadpanned, "I was talking to Minerva out side the boy's lavatory telling her how busy I was today and I had to get a very important message to you, the boy-who-lived, before the school day was through. I just so happened to mention that and my poor owl was sick-"

"You don't have an owl," Harry glared.

"Yes, well, I'm sure if I had an owl it would be sick."

"Why do I have a feeling you would go and purchase an owl and poison it just to prove yourself right?" Harry asked.

"That would just be cruel, besides I neglect to feed Fawks more times then I remember so the owl would die of starvation instead of a poisoning. And further more, I don't give Fawks enough attention as it is, it would be unfair to him for me to get another pet."

"The why not use Fawks?"

"Fawks isn't an owl; I couldn't possibly treat him as one," Dumbledore waved his hand towards the bird that flapped his wings in agreement.

"So you used a student as an owl?"

"Well, not precisely. I was informing Minerva that I wasn't capable of getting you this important letter, due to a meeting I needed to attend, when this little boy came out of the lavatory happening to over hear our conversation and was jumping with excitement of helping me out. I couldn't possibly say no and disappoint him; why crush ones dreams?

Well, lets carry on shall we?" Dumbledore asked folding his hands on top of his desk cutting of Harry's impending remark.

Harry just nodded and silently waited for Dumbledore to begin.

"Harry, are you familiar with Z. C. Grindelwald?" Dumbledore asked.

"I've read about him, yes. I know he was a Dark Wizard a bit before my time and that you where the one to defeat him," Harry relayed for him.

Dumbledore nodded in acceptance, "Nothing else?"

"Should I? I really hadn't paid attention in our History of Magic's class."

"Rather an interesting subject if you get into it," Dumbledore said. "But I digress. I knew Zalika Grindelwald as a young boy. We both attended Hogwarts at the same time. We weren't the best of friends but we would talk from time to time. This was when there wasn't such discord between Gryffindors and Slytherins."

"When Zalika entered his final year, he was in a right state when he discovered he wouldn't be a head. He strived for power; everybody else knew it and stayed clear when he was determined to have something. Everybody knew that he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. I happened to be the one standing in his way." Dumbledore pulled his glasses from his face and wiped them with a green handkerchief, "We had always been on good terms before that. We both where the top of each of our classes, in certain subjects him above me and in others vise versa. It was a friendly competition of sorts. Like I said, was. When he found out I had been made Head Boy over him he became livid with anybody that seemed to agree with our Headmistress's decision. From then on he began to lock himself away in his dorm and was always found in the Library." Dumbledore paused to place his glasses back on his face.

"What was he doing then?" Harry asked, slightly curious yet still not sure of what the conversation was about.

Dumbledore gave a small stressed smile. "He was teaching himself, just as you had. He was absorbing everything he could get his hands on to prove he was better then me and to prove that everybody underestimated him. What he wasn't willing to acknowledge was that nobody underestimated him, but rather looked up to him because of his power. What ever he had, he wanted more. This is where I start to compare him to Tom Riddle, the whole reason I brought up my old foe. Both feel they had something to prove through knowledge and power. Neither could be satisfied with what they gained, they both needed to gain more and more at any cost." Dumbledore gave a light shrug.

"By the end of our Hogwarts careers, he had truly become obsessed with beating me. Before we left school he challenged me to a duel, in which he lost. I have wondered that, if I had thrown the duel, that he would have turned out differently. But alas, I hadn't known what would have come of being the victor of the duel.

"Zalika disappeared after school, nobody knew where he went, not even I did. I was too caught up in living my own life to worry about the likes of Zalika. Over 60 years passed with out any word of him."

"Where did he go?" Harry asked

"Only Zalika knew and, perhaps, some history books have him mentioned in them before his rise to power in the 30s. Now tell me this Harry, do you have any knowledge concerning World War II?"

"Yes, I studied it a bit in primary school. Hitler wanted dominate power for Germany and took it by force. He despised those who studied and prayed under the religion of Judaism.Well, and anyone who looked Jewish."

Dumbledore nodded gravely, "Did you know that Mr. Hitler was not a German, but was born in a small town in Austria?"

Harry shook his head. Clearly confused why the sudden change of topic.

"It was a wonder to me why Adolf Hitler would come to be such a hateful person. Historians have found that he had dreams of becoming a Priest when he was younger and was much loved and very well liked amongst his school friends. In the early 1900's he dropped out of school at the age of 16 due to illness, a rare sort at that. Not that I was aware this back then. I just knew that he was a threat to the Muggle world. But this struck me as curious when I discovered his past in the 20s. When his mother died it was rumored he wandered Vienna as a transient, sleeping in bars, flophouses, and shelters for the homeless, including, ironically, those financed by Jewish philanthropists. It was during this period that he developed his prejudices about Jews, his interest in politics, and debating skills. I discovered, by an author of a biography, that the doctor that treated Adolf's mother was Jewish. Maybe it is possible that he could have created the hatred of the Jewish people because of this, but a simple enhancing potion, that would cause somebody to over react, cause building hatred perhaps, and that potion would surly help the matters along if somebody needed the hatred for their own gain. I discovered on my research that before Zalika came out publicly, he was spotted in a small flophouse in Vienna talking to Adolf. I'm as positive as one can get that Adolf was indeed drugged that night. I wondered why Zalika would do such a thing, what need did he have of a muggle, let alone an orphan who had little to no money and had no power whatsoever. But then, Zalika was a wizard and a great one at that, all he had to do was charm a few members of parliament and got Adolf in as easy as that."

"Why would he want Hitler, out of all the muggles he could have had, out there instead?" Harry asked perplexed

"He had a weak mind structure at that time; he was gullible from the loss of his parents. He also had potential, which Zalika informed me of the night of his death. He had the strength to carry on with the plan with out the need of Zalika's wand. He had the need for vengeance. And that in its self attracted him to Adolf. And upon the sudden death of Hindenburg in late 1934, Hitler was the consensus successor and with an improving economy, Hitler claimed credit and consolidated his position as a dictator, having succeeded in eliminating challenges from other political parties and government institutions that Zalika would have had to face sooner or later. The German industrial machine was built up in preparation for war. By 1937, Zalika was comfortable enough to put his master plan into effect. Giving Adolf permission to call his top military aides together to a conference in November 1937, Zalika began to outline his plans for world domination. Those who objected to the plan were dismissed. It all seemed so easy for Zalika. Adolf seemed to be the perfect choice to help him along accomplish his goals."

"So he partnered with Hitler to gain power over Europe?" Harry summed up.

"Well, partnered isn't really what he did. He more or less tricked Adolf. Making him think that he would gain power as an equal, when in truth Zalika didn't care about anybody or anything but self gain and power." Dumbledore stood from his chair and walked to the book case. "When Zalika came out in the late 20s he started his pursuit to dominate the world. Starting with Czehelslavackia and slowly concurring the surrounding nations. Soon enough, Japan joined Adolf. Zalika didn't like that; he saw it as him becoming defiant." Dumbledore pulled out a book after studying the shelf for a second.

"Adolf ordered the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenlands in 1938 with out Zalika's permission. His army invaded Poland on September 1 the next year, sparking France and England to declare war on Germany. A Blitzkrieg, known as a lightning war, of German tanks and infantry swept through most of Western Europe as nation after nation fell to the German war machine. Zalika was angry, Adolf was gaining power without asking for his approval or consent. Zalika wanted to slowly conquer Europe and then the rest of the world. The fact that Japan was in on it upset him even more. He knew it would cause a problem in his master plan. And in 1941, Hitler ignored a non-aggression pact he had signed with the Soviet Union in August 1939 that Zalika had orchestrated. Several early victories after the invasion of the Soviet Union were reversed with crushing defeats at Moscow and Stalingrad. The United States entered the war in1941 because, as Zalika predicted, Japan attacked the one country that Zalika wasn't able to beat... well not until he concurred all of the European Wizarding world and European Muggle world where he could then spare the troops to fight. By 1944, the Allies and the Wizarding world invaded the occupied Europe at Normandy Beach on the French coast. German cities were being destroyed by bombing, and Italy, Germany's major ally under the leadership of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, had fallen. For the first time in centuries did Muggles united with Wizards, for the first time was the secrecy of the Wizarding world was compromised, and it hadn't mattered. The Axis powers, along with Zalika, were losing the war at a quickening pace so Zalika cut his loses. He killed Adolf and his wife and framed it as a suicide. It was believable and nobody asked any questions because the war appeared to be inevitably lost and the events seemed logical: his hand-picked lieutenants seeing the futility, defied his orders, he killed himself, it seemed logical." Dumbledore walked to Harry and sat down in a chair across from him. A desk no longer separated a student and his headmaster. Now what occupied the office were two Wizarding equals speaking of a war.

"Why tell me this, sir?"

"Albus, Harry." Dumbledore corrected, "I'm telling you this so you can understand something."

"And what would that be, Albus?" Harry asked

"That even the most promising people can become your worst enemy. But in that fact, perhaps your enemy could be come your greatest ally, it is in the choices we all make determines the out come."

Harry frowned. All of that when he could have just told him that in the first place?

"I know what you're thinking Harry, but I also told you this in order for you to understand Tom a little more." Dumbledore handed Harry the book in which he had pulled from his shelf, "Tom was an orphan just like Adolf but he strived for power just like Zalika. He wanted to prove that an accident of birth didn't mean he wasn't worthy of high power and world domination. He held a fury with every Muggle because of how his father abandoned him, and because of how he was treated while he grew up. Adolf developed this hatred when his mother died, when the Jewish Doctor couldn't save her. Even when Tom didn't know about his past and his heritage and Magic, he still hated muggles, he hated anybody that wasn't like him. And the way he saw it, that meant everybody, because he felt he was one of a kind, a gift from the heavens sent to do Gods work. To rid the world of people like his father."

"Why do I need to understand him?" Harry scowled, "I don't want to become his friend, I-"

"He already thinks he knows you, Harry. He thinks you may feel like he does because of how you grew up, an orphan whom nobody wanted. Tell me Harry, is that not how you felt?" Dumbledore frowned sadly as Harry abruptly stood up

"What are you on about, old man?" Harry demanded

"I want to know, Harry. How did you feel when you were younger?"

"How would you feel?" Harry asked scathingly, "If you where locked in a cupboard for days at a time? Being a punching bag and a slave for 10 years of you life? What do you want me to say? That no matter what my Aunt did I wanted to believe deep down she loved me?"

"Yes that is what I wanted you to say, that is what you need to understand."

Harry crossed his arms confused but still peeved at Dumbledore; this wasn't turning out to be his day. First Snape, then Hermione and Ron, now he had to listen to Dumbledore sprout out nonsense.

"Tom hated the way he grew up and never once thought about love, never wished for it like you had. He doesn't know that you did for that matter. He thinks you resented them as much as he resented his father for abandoning him. He chose you because he felt that both of you where two peas in a pod. Both of you were born half-bloods, both were orphans and both of you grew up not knowing about the world you belonged to before you where shipped off to live with unloving Muggles. He thinks that he can bring you to his side because of these facts. He feels he can show you the light of darkness. Just because he cannot truly understand you, that does not mean you cannot understand him. It just may be the way that you defeat him in the end." Dumbledore picked up the book which Harry tossed aside when he had stood, "This book was written by Adolf Hitler in his confinement, all about his life and prejudices." He handed it back to Harry. "Just look through it. You don't need to read it."

Harry nodded, "Okay."

"I heard from Professor Flitwick you were in a right state this afternoon," Dumbledore commented watching Harry closely.

Harry shrugged and walked to the window, "I don't want talk about it." He muttered

Dumbledore frowned, "It's not good to keep it all bottled up, Harry."

"I'm not bottling anything up, I don't even know why I'm upset, maybe Malfoy's right and I am moody."

"Mr. Malfoy being right?" Dumbledore asked, "Now I'm positive something is bothering you."

"Hermione and Ron are dating." Harry shrugged, "Its not like I'm jealous or anything its just… It changes everything."

Dumbledore walked up to Harry and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, "or maybe, it won't change anything."

Harry shook his head stubbornly, "No, it will. Everything between us will change."

"You mean between all of you right? Not just between you and Miss Granger?"

"Of course that's what I meant!" Harry growled angrily

"But I don't think it is, I think you may have feelings for her. Maybe you are, perhaps, Jealous? After all, you seem rather defensive about her and Mr. Weasley seeing one another besides as friends."

Harry shrugged of Dumbledore's shoulder, "You're wrong." He said coldly

Dumbledore sighed and walked to his desk and picked up a bag and handed it to Harry dropping the subject, "Here. These are for you."

Harry raised an eyebrow and pulled a pair of sweat pants from the bag that were black and had Hogwarts written downward on the sides of the legs in red. "What the hell are these?" he demanded.

"These are your clothes you are required to wear during our meetings." Harry pulled out a t-shirt that displayed Hogwarts name also and then a sweatshirt.

"Why?" he asked, eyeing the clothing distastefully.

"Because, we will be covering everything from martial arts to dueling in our lessons, starting Monday. I can't have you training in robes, now can I?" the old headmaster responded simply, "Also, every morning you will join me along the lake to run."

"Excuse me? Why on earth will we be running?"

"You Harry, not me. And because, you may be good in dueling and sorts but incase of you coming up short, you will need the physical strength to run away. Don't give me that look," Dumbledore said seriously to Harry who looked like he just eaten a lemon, "I know how you feel about running way, but you need to learn that some times it is necessary. Also, you need to have physical strength along with mental strength. If some how your magic fails you, you may need to fight physically and you may have the upper hand. You can't always rely on Magic, as you very well know, with learning how to use your sword."

Harry looked reproachfully at his uniform. "So I have to start running on Monday? What time?"

"5 a.m. sharp. And you start tomorrow, not Monday."

Harry nodded still looking at his clothes. "Is this why you where in a Muggle town?"

"Yes, my friend runs an athletic store. Like I said, he'll be attending some meetings as well as teaching you martial arts." Harry looked out the window once more and noticed the sky had darkened.

"Well, we should get to dinner. I'll let you leave so you can put away the things I gave you. I'll see you tomorrow at 5, make sure to get a good nights sleep. Don't be late."

Harry gave a curt nod and walked out of the office. He made it half way down the hall before deciding not to attend dinner.

Harry dropped his things off in his room, grabbed his sword and made his way to the room of the requirement.

Harry looked around the room, nothing but a dummy with a sword. Harry nodded and swung his sword with frustration as the dummy jumped to life and started to battle with Harry. After 20 minutes Harry gave a frustrated yell and decapitated the dummy, letting the head dropped and rolled across the floor and the body dropped heavily along with it.

Harry sighed and sank to the floor, "I'm not jealous," he said determinedly to the empty room and the decapitated dummy, "I'm not."

-ROTGL-

29 Pages people. It was 30 but I cut some stuff out of it so I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think, anything at all that was bad, OR GOOD I rather like hearing what you all think. Are you okay with the way H/HR is coming along? Are you not? I'm thinking of having a chat room talk to anser anything you want to know. Maybe a few spoilers. Tell me if you'd be interested. Also, some of these words are REALLY big. I'm so proud of myself. Most of them are vocabulary words from my Advance English Class. :-D SO yeah, hope you like it and sorry for the LOOOOOONG Wait, won't happen again I hope. Already working on chapter 18


	18. A broken heart to Insults

Okay everybody. I know. I suck. I never update as much as I should and my post are far apart but I swear I am trying. Another thing. Hermione. I know I know I know. She is being a bit… well, not as I imagine her. I mean, Oldnick and I both have different pictures of Hermione… and also, he didn't really form Hermione's personality so far in the story because she was really only added in recent chapters, and the part he did form is making it difficult for me to write her as I want her. So blame PMS okay? Lol. But I am in the process of making her personality the way I want it and so far I am not having the best of luck. I'm sorry for that but please be patient with me, alright?

Also, I like Harry to sleep. If he doesn't he seems so… un-human. (so not a word) And I understand I make mistakes, like in the chapter of the train ride I had Harry be able to see in the dark due to a ritual but I reread some of the story and remembered Harry's glasses give him that… So, I make mistakes, thanks to those who help me point them out.

I know I deserve reticule for not updating but I hate when you guys tell me I suck and tell me my story sucks. If you read the story and you say it sucks, then stop reading it. And if you love it and say mean things, let me tell you, telling me a lot of criticism won't make me update any faster. I know constructive criticism should always be welcomed but hey, I don't take it well, but I like that you guys give it, maybe if I was more confident in my writing I could handle it. But I like to hear it, and I am trying my best here. The whole 7 month no update thing will never happen again. I SWEAR! Thanks. And if you leave me a review please don't bash me on the long time between updates, I know. I hate what I did but I'll be sad if you do. L I know I don't deserve this but I would appreciate it.

Chapter 18:

When the sun had risen it marked Harry's first lap, now, as he approached his last lap, his face and shirt where soak with perspiration. Harry made a brushing action across his forehead as he ran around the muddled waters of the lake. A long and antagonizing hour had slowly passed since Harry had started his little run and he never wanted to murder somebody as much as he wanted to murder Albus Dumbledore.

"Faster!" Dumbledore yelled for what felt like the hundredth time from atop of his multi-colored magical flying carpet and what looked like a small muggle fan in his hand which he had lazily was moving back and forth in front of his face.

Harry grumbled and picked up his pace and made sure to avoid the raised earth near the bridge in which he had forgotten each lap and nearly tumbling into the lake each time. 8th time is the charm Harry supposed when he avoided the mole hole just in time.

His feet treaded across the bridge and back onto the dew soaked lawn picking up pace before Dumbledore could yell anything once more.

It seemed like forever that Harry had arrived on the grounds to the back of the castle where the hand made, or magic made, lake sat. Really, Harry had never seen how big the lake actually was. It was bigger then he remembered back in his third year. The bridge bigger and widener, longer and creakier. The stream louder which ran under it that dispenses around the castle and into the large shore front that protected the castle from unwelcome guest.

Harry had to run from the point of the bride along towards the forbidden forest, which touched the shore of the lake at one point, around until Harry made it all the way around the lake and back towards the bridge. A pointless running path in Harry's mind but then again, what did he know? Maybe in some whacked out way, this would help. You could never be sure with Dumbledore, he had many ways of thinking, which was why nobody could ever figure the old man out. Simply because, Harry suspected, the old man didn't even know himself.

Harry quickened his pace into a full out run as his finished his final lap. He stopped right before the bridge and put his hands on his head and leaned in back in hopes it would steady his breathing which was now coming in shallow gasps.

"Better then I expected but not great. I mean, if a death eater was running after you, I'm sure you would be dead by now." Dumbledore said, flying his carpet to Harry and had it hover over the grass.

"Yeah because he wouldn't waste his time chasing me and instead would sending curses my way. They seem to like it when my back is towards them, gives them a better chance." Harry said as steadily as he could with his breathing as uneven as it was.

Dumbledore pulled out a handful of Lemon Drops and climbed off the flying carpet, which wasn't one at all, but 2 cleansweeps broomsticks spell-oh-taped to a rug, with as much grace as one could and extended his hand towards Harry in an offer with a smile, "Not if he didn't have a wand." He pointed out childishly.

Harry rolled his eyes and declined the offer of the sour candy and grabbed the water bottle that was sitting atop of the fling carpet/rug and broomsticks and took a gulp of it. "What would he achieve once he caught up to me?"

"He would apperate you away." Dumbledore supplied easily.

"Then why hadn't I just done so myself?" Harry asked.

"It would be against the law for you are under age."

"Oh, so in this unlikely scenario we have a death eater with out a wand… me running away… and… now I'm a law abiding citizen?" Harry asked. "What next? If he can't catch up to me, he'll throw some stones?"

"Any thing is possible."

Harry snorted and started to walk towards the castle which Dumbledore beside him. "Next thing you'll be telling me is that Voldemort has a girlfriend."

Dumbledore tucked his Lemon drops into a hidden pocket of his robed and clasped his hands together. "Tell me Harry, from our discussion yesterday, how do you think you've come to understand Tom, has anything changed from what you knew before him and now?"

"Really, I haven't learned anything new about Tom. I new quite little before and I know as much today. Tom is half-muggle running a Pure-blooded war. In his eyes he's better then his own race."

"And tell me, I'd like to know what you think, why do you suppose Tom wouldn't have a significant other?"

"Voldemort, not Tom Riddle, prides himself on being above humanity. He doesn't show love, along with love is passion, in comes in pairs, just as love and hate do." Harry glanced at the castle in concentration and continued, "If Voldemort claims to not feel love, there for he cannot feel desire, it's a weakness he cannot allow himself to posses. That's one of the reasons I suspect he doesn't have many women followers."

Dumbledore watched Harry and gestured for him to continue after a second of silence.

"I'm no psychoanalyst but I suspect Voldemort sees women as a weakness, just as much as he sees love as one. Women in his eyes are the weaker sex because they carry too much emotion. They are ticking bombs unknown when they will explode. They are unpredictable and yet not. Voldemort's operation is of precise plans and actions, nothing is spontaneous, that's to dangerous and women are just that. Not only those reasons, but also, men are more powerful."

Dumbledore looked shockingly at Harry. Harry eyes widened and back peddled. "Not that I think that! I mean, Hermione is powerful, and so was my Mum. I'm strictly thinking like Voldemort would. Men are stronger in body, they can fight, lift hundreds of pounds, and such, where as women are more limited in physical strength. Plus, women are more prone to cave under torture. Most likely Voldemort sees men are also more powerful in magic. In his experience it probably is true. Men can think faster, once more not my opinion, act faster, and in the end, get the job done because they can put aside any emotion and do the task. Women are fickle and their hearts come into action."

"Why do you think Voldemort think all of this?" Dumbledore asked as they neared the castle.

"I can't be for certain, nobody will, I doubt even Voldemort does, but it all comes down to his mother. She loved his father from what we know, she gave birth to the offspring of a muggle who didn't take to lightly the fact that see was a witch. She gave up on life and left her son to know no parents and gave him no love. She had only love for Tom Riddle and herself and not her son. Voldemort grew up only knowing he had no family, so he most likely isolated himself, deemed himself special because he could do things nobody else could. I believe Voldemort was a bully, beat other kids up for their milk money and whatnot. In school, Voldemort probably didn't waste his time on girls-"

"No, If I do recall correctly, Tom had a few girlfriends during his years at Hogwarts." Dumbledore corrected lightly

Harry stayed silent for a minute as they walked along the grounds. Harry nodded to himself, "Maybe he liked the power." Harry said slowly, "Maybe he liked that he could control a women."

The pair entered the Castle and Harry put out his arm to yield Dumbledore and turned to face him completely. "Maybe, Just maybe, He liked it so much he would do anything to keep that power. He didn't date because he liked the girl, or the feelings attached to her."

"That doesn't really sound new to me Harry, you act as if it's a revelation." Dumbledore said

"Because it is. You could look at him and say, he was human at one point, and then ponder what changed him. But maybe it was always there, the hatred and the thrust for power. I think I could be right with him resenting his mother and anything in association to her. Women, Muggles, love, passion, weakness, I could go on." Harry said, "When I was younger I felt because I once turned my teachers hair blue, or when my hair grew over night, that I was weird, where as I believe, Voldemort thought the complete opposite. Maybe that's where it all started for him, the first time he did magic, wielded the world to please him and when he discovered that he could never be pleased he set out to find what would do that. He didn't know about his mother or father or his heritage, he only knew that he was different. Like I said before, he thought he was special. He loved the power because he thought he didn't have it anywhere else. So beating up on a younger child, stealing money, he had power. When magic played in it was great for him, he could gain more power then he could ever imagine. But it's like a drug, with each hit, you grow more immune to it. You no longer get that high that you like, it takes more and more to get you to that one point when you first experienced it. Voldemort needed more power to even achieve what he felt when he was younger. He needed it in more places so he branched out, and dating was probably one of the areas he chose."

"So power is Voldemort's Drug." Dumbledore summed up, acting as if he hadn't already known it.

"Yes."

"So we've been able to label it but what's new about it?" Dumbledore asked

Harry smiled proudly, "Don't you see? We're going about it all wrong, reading books, thinking of our experiences with Voldemort in order to understand him. We can't learn about him from a book. To learn about Voldemort we need to learn about his conquests and victims. In order to try to understand him, we need them. We need to speak to them."

Dumbledore measured Harry and nodded, a smile played at his lips, "You just may be right, Harry. Just may be right."

_ROTGL_

_Flashback to yesterday:_

_H_ermione bit her lip and looked at her book and then back up across the room and then shut her book and nervously walked up to Ron who was playing a round of wizarding chess with Dean.

"Ron?" Hermione asked, stopping in front of him.

Ron looked up anxiously and then a smile tugged at his lips. "Hey, Hermione." He said rather bashfully.

"Um, can I speak to you for a second?" She asked looking reminiscently to the deserted corner.

"Yeah, I'll be right back Dean." Ron stood shooting Dean a glance as he followed Hermione.

Ron stuffed his hands into his pockets, rolling on the balls of his feet he smiled, "So, about what I asked the other night-"

"No." Hermione said softly cutting Ron off.

"Wait, w-what?" Ron's eyes were wide and his hands slipped from his pockets.

Hermione sighed and sat in an arm chair. "I want to, Ron. I really do, but it wouldn't be fair to you. I-I can't date you, I can't be that girl." She looked down at her hands that where folded neatly in her lap.

"What girl?" He asked slightly confused.

Hermione looked up at him with glossy eyes and gave a wispy smile, "You're a great guy, your cute and funny, you're even kind of sweet when you want to be."

"But?" He added for her with sagged shoulders as he listen to the girl he fancied turn him down.

"We don't have _that_ certain thing we need to have any kind of relationship besides friendship."

"How do we know that if we don't even try?" He asked desperately

Hermione gave Ron a pained look, but it soon fell as notion clicked in her brain, and so, she patted the seat next to her, "Sit." Ron watched her for a second and then sat down. "Do you believe in Love at first sight, Ron?"

"Uh- yes? No… well, um, yeah, Kind of." Ron stuttered out unsure

"Did you love me when we first met?" She asked, the tone of the question clearly saying she already knew.

Ron looked down ashamed, "We were 11."

"You were 12." Hermione corrected, "And no, you didn't. And that's okay, we're friends now and for our friendship, that's what's important."

"Okay, so I don't believe in love at first sight." Ron said resignedly

"I know, you only said so because you thought that's what I wanted to hear." Hermione said a small smile playing at her lips. "And that's you being sweet when I'm trying to make you see where I'm coming from." Hermione sighed.

"I don't see how you know that we're not meant to be, why can't we even try?"

"I'm not saying I never had feelings for you, Ron. Because I have."

"You have?"

"Yes, and in forth year, if you had asked me to the Yule Ball I would have excepted without hesitation-"

"What changed?" Ron asked sadly.

"Me. Not you. Me. I changed. Everything changed when Cedric died, when Voldemort came back-" Hermione shook her head trying to collect her thoughts, "Before then, before the Tri-wizarding tournament, things seemed so simple. Sure we had our adventures, but nothing so much that it made everything change. I came to terms with a lot of things that summer Ron, and my crush on you was just that, a crush. God, I wish that it was more then that because it would make things so much simpler, it would mean I wouldn't be-" Hermione chocked back a sob and shook her head catching herself, "Whatever we could have, Ron, wouldn't be worth what we could lose in the end. We wouldn't last and one of us could get hurt, and I'm not the girl who will make you happy."

"But I could be the guy that makes you happy."

"I couldn't live with knowing that I didn't make you happy-"

"Being with you would make me happy."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I'm bossy, I'm a know-it-all, I'm controlling, I nag people to death, I can't cook, my cleaning skills are minimal, I kick in my sleep, I slurp my milk from my bowl when done eating my cereal, I burn cookies, I drink 4 cups of coffee with a 2 hour period of time, I have bushy hair, and I bite my figure nails at the dinner table."

"I can deal with all those things, I have for 5 years." Ron said persistently, "And they have things for your hair, just ask Ginny. And you can always learn to cook and clean-"

Hermione sighed, "You've dealt with those things for 5 years as a friend I don't want you to deal with them. I want you to love those things about me. I don't want you to settling. I want you to love me for me and not want to change anything about me."

"Nothing I say or do will change your mind, will it?" Ron asked sighing sadly

"I'm sorry, I really am. Your 1 in 1 with Harry with being my best friend and I don't want to lose you. I don't know what I'd do if you decided you no longer liked me and didn't want to be my friend."

"That'll never happen, Hermione." Ron said squeezing her hands.

Hermione gave a teary smile, "Good."

"I saw this coming, you know?" Ron said after a second. "When you didn't answer me right away…"

"Are you okay?"

Ron laughed bitterly, "No, not at all. But I hope I'll get over it. I'm sure Harry will have to convince me to go to classes in the morning and I won't shave- I'll make sure to skip my shower and wear day old clothes just to make you feel bad."

Hermione laughed, "At least you have a plan. So, we're good?"

Ron stood. "I guess we are." He started to walk away but stopped and turned towards Hermione, "By the way, what was up with Harry today?"

"What do you mean?" She asked standing up and running her hands over her robes.

"Well, he seemed in a bad mood. Did something happen or anything?"

Hermione shook her head, "Not that I know about. You know how he gets, though, maybe he's just having a bad day." She offered

Ron nodded, "Alright, I'll see you later."

"Bye." she whispered as he had already departed

ROTGLROTGL

Harry stumbled into the Common Room minutes after departing from Dumbledore in the Entrance Hall. As he made his way towards the boy's form he stopped noticing Hermione curled up on an armchair near a dead fire that seemed to have gone out during the night.

Harry looked longingly up the stairs but sighed and headed towards her. "Hey." He said dropping heavily down on an opposite armchair.

"Hey." She greeted shutting her book but she frowned when looking at him, "What are you wearing… and where have you been? You look like Death itself." She said worriedly.

"Oh." Harry laughed humorlessly, "Dumbledore's idea of fun I suppose." He said resting his head against the headrest.

"Which part? Why your dressed like that, or why you look like hell?"

Harry cracked a smile, "Both."

"Oh." She said not sure if she should inquire more but Harry answered her unasked question.

"Dumbledore wants me to run in the mornings for training, this outfit is the required apparel in order to be trained by him in _any_ department of his loony intelligence."

Hermione smiled at him, "Oh." She nodded. "So, does this mean we'll not be continuing my training?" She asked disappointedly

"No, we'll just have to do it during a free period or sometime during the night, preferably after curfew, in secret, where we won't be dropped in on by wondering students." Harry said without opening his eyes.

Hermione nodded and went back to her book. Due to having his eyes closed Harry hadn't heard a response from Hermione and opened his eyes to look at her and noticed she was once again reading the book she had read on the train.

"So, are you ever going to tell me what that book is?"

Hermione looked up at him and gave a ghostly smile. "Maybe, it's very doubtful, but maybe."

"How about why you haven't made any progress in the pages except you read it constantly?" He asked

Hermione considered him a second and then nodded. "The author of the book cast a charm on it to resemble a book with was common back in her era so whom ever she was hiding it from would pass it up."

Harry nodded, "What's it about?"

Hermione shook her head, I told you enough already." She stood up and stretched revealing her pajamas fully. They resembled Harry's.

"Cute." He said lightly while standing up

"What's that?" She asked frowning

"I'm heading up to jump in the shower." Harry walked by her towards the stair case.

"Harry? Why do you smell like… the lake?" Hermione asked sniffing him.

Harry scowled, "Dumbledore didn't think I was running fast enough so he animated a few branches to hit me in order to compel me into going faster but they beat me so hard that I was knocked into the lake."

Hermione burst into laughter.

Harry glared at her, "I'm going now." Harry made his way to the stairs and traveled up the steps to his form trying hard to ignore Hermione's laughter echoing form the common room. Stupid Dumbledore.

ROTGLROTGLROTGL

"Ron, get up! You're going to miss breakfast." Harry yelled to Ron, checking his watch for the 8th time.

"I'm worthless. I'm that spider on the bottom of my shoe that I squashed yesterday." Ron mumbled into his pillow, "Go away. Leave me be. Let me rot in my misery in peace."

"Mate, trust me, you don't what to do that." Seamus called from the bathroom, walking into sight wearing a towel around his neck and a toothbrush in his mouth. "There was this lass that I fancied back home and we went out a few times and then she dumped me like I was yesterdays trash. I mopped around for 2 weeks, didn't shower or anything. Only thing that came of it was an uneven beard, if you want to call it that, and me Mum refusing to come within 10 feet of me, and me Da putting a car air-freshener around my neck. He said he went through the same phase when he was a teenager but couldn't deal with the stench anymore." Seamus nodded in remembrance.

"And the girl?" Dean asked finishing lacing up his shoes.

"Annabelle lee Sanders." He sighed dreamily, "Red hair, blue eyes, a bust that would make any man swoon…"

Dean laughed, "Sounds like Ginny!"

Ron elevated his head off his pillow and shot Dean a glare, who quickly shut up and looked to Seamus. "You alright, mate?" Dean asked watching his friend who now had a melancholy expression.

He sighed, "Anna. Geeze do I miss her… my life sucks." He walked back into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Gee, Thanks! That makes my hopes just sore with the possibilities that maybe one day I won't always feel like my heart was ripped out of my chest and stomped on!" Ron called angrily chucking his pillow at the closed door.

"Ron, come on, get up." Harry sighed not sure of what else to do.

"Easy for you to say," Ron said bunching up his sheets to form a new pillow. "Your heart hasn't been ripped brutally from your body and tossed around like a Quaffle or Bluger."

"I didn't hear her do all that, it seemed like a peaceful let down by most standers. I mean, did you see Becka Rinkly turn down that bloke from Ravenclaw last year? I mean, wow, harsh." Dean shook his head

"Who, who, and when was this?" Ron asked

"Becka, 5th year Gryffindor… boards with your sister?" Seeing the puzzled expression Dean shrugged, "Anyway, This 6th year bloke, whose now a 7th year, asked her to out last year and she told him no and then he wouldn't stop asking, you know the saying persistence is key? Yeah, not so much. Anyway, he then asked her out in front of all her friends in the Great Hall during dinner, she told him off and called him all sorts of horrible names." He shook his head, "Brutal."

"Where were we?" Ron asked sitting up looking interested.

"I have no clue, I remember it was towards the end… maybe right before Umbridge disappeared… Hey! It was the day the lot of you disappeared now that I think about it-" Dean said loudly.

Harry shook his head, "No, I remember that, That was weeks before Umbridge disappeared."

"Oh, maybe your right." Dean said dropping it, "Anyway, see you at Breakfast. Seamus! Lets go." Seamus emerged from the bathroom sullenly when dripping wet hair and left trailing a puddle of water after him.

"You remember-"

"No." Harry said shortly, "I just didn't want to talk about it anymore. Do you want me to bring you back something to eat?" Harry asked trying to show some sort of understanding.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm going to go take a shower."

"See you later." Harry parted.

Maybe it was because Harry was a bad friend but he couldn't help but feel relief flow threw his body from hearing that Hermione turned Ron down. Maybe, if he dared to hope, things could go back to normal.

ROTGLROTGLROTGLROTGL

"Defense Against the Dark Arts! Finally!" Ron said plopping down in a seat next to Harry who had Hermione of his right.

Harry handed Ron wrapped up toast and a muffin. Ron raised an eyebrow towards Harry.

"Hey, you where just getting toast until I was _forced _into snagging you a muffin too."

Ron shot a glance at Hermione and refocused his attention to Harry, "Thanks Mate." He said enthusiastically eating the food. "What do you suppose she'll be like?" Ron asked

"Dunno. Never heard of her-"

"Shh." Hermione hissed as the teacher entered the classroom.

Professor Duncan had her hair pulled into a low bun and her robes looked identical to the ones at the feast.

"Good morning class." She greeted placing her bag beside her desk and leaned against the desk.

The class greeted her with an unison "Good morning, Professor."

Professor Duncan raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile. "Alright, My name is Kady Duncan and obviously I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." She clasped her hands together and leaned heavier against the desk. "Now, today, like most of your classes will be, are preliminaries. Nothing of real importance will be taking place because we, your professors, are trying to comprehend what you have learnt over the past 5 years.

"This year is the beginning of your N.E.W.T's preparations. As most of you already are aware of, you have 2 years to prepare for your N.E.W.T's but these test are vitally important to your careers after schooling has concluded. These two years will me most difficult and trying. Next year will be just the same. Now, since I haven't the same advantage as your other professors of teaching you students for the past 5 years and learning and understanding you along with knowing you. So, today's class will begin with introductions. I want you to introduce yourselves and tell me something about yourself." Professor Duncan smiled sweetly towards a Ravenclaw boy, "Let's start with you."

The Ravenclaw colored slightly at being addressed, "I'm Ryan Conners, I'm a Ravenclaw, and I like Quiddittch."

A few girls snickered and one whispered, "Obviously, he plays on the team doesn't he?" Ryan colored a deeper scarlet and shrank in his seat.

"And you are?" Professor Duncan addressed the girl

"Jenna Rinks, I'm also a Ravenclaw and I freelance for Witch Weekly." Jenna said smugly

"So you like to write?"

"No, she likes to gossip." Hermione snorted to Harry, "Anything she can get her hands on."

Jenna glared at her and said loudly, "You're just angry because I exposed what type of woman a man like Harry Pot-"

"Exposed?" Hermione scoffed boldly, "You mean made up?"

"Excuse me? All, I mean all, of my stories are 100 legit and not a one holds any fiction." Jenna said angrily

"Did you get the words, 'leggy, blond, and well acquired' strait from his lips?"

"I altered them a bit-"

"I am right here you know." Harry said, "And I assure you those words did not come out of my mouth, in one form or another. Nor will they ever."

"And you are Mr. Potter, am I correct."

Harry nodded, "Yes."

"Tell us something about yourself."

"I'm 16." He said in all seriousness.

Hermione groaned softly and shook her head at Ron who was chuckling.

"I'm pretty sure we all knew that." Professor Duncan said offering a nice smile

"Anything I am willing to tell everybody they all already know." Harry Shrugged. "How about we move on to Hermione?"

Hermione glanced at the Professor and with a nod Hermione said, "I'm Hermione Granger, I'm a Gryffindor… and I love to learn." Hermione provide unsurely

Professor Duncan nodded and carried on until each student introduce themselves, "Okay, Now that that is threw I want you all to stand up and come to the from of the class room. Tut tut, leave your bags and things besides your wands. Yes, Now, I want you to pair off into groups of two, somebody you won't mind hexing." Harry snorted and watched all the Gryffindor's glanced at the Slytherins who in turn where glower back at them.

"I wouldn't mind hexing ferret boy." Ron said nodding towards Draco Malfoy, his wand held loosely in his hand, his arms crossed against his chest.

"You and half the class, Ron." Neville said coming up to them.

"Its your lucky day." Hermione said eyeing Malfoy, "He's heading this way." True to her word Malfoy was indeed walking towards the group of Gryffindor's. His blond hair was slicked back in its usual gelled state and his clothes pressed and wrinkle free. He walked in a brisk step that radiated of self-purpose and certainty.

"Potter."

"Oh. Bugger. The handsome bloke chose Harry to dance with instead. Whom ever will we hope to capture?" Seamus said his voice an octave or two higher then his customary pitch.

Neville gave Seamus a strange look, "That was unsettling, never do that again."

"I was only making a mess about-" Seamus started

"Yes, Malfoy?" Harry cut Seamus off

"Obviously you know _why _I'm standing here."

Harry shrugged nonchalantly and pick a piece of non-existent lint from his sleeve, "Obviously I couldn't care less."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, "You are giving up a chance in order to hex me?"

"I'll have a go." Ron said stepping forward, his wand raised

"I'd fear dueling with you weasel. You might blow an arm off when trying an disarming spell. Mix up the word 'armed' and actual 'arm'." Malfoy said pretentiously

"Mr. Malfoy, I assure you today we will not be dueling." Professor Duncan placed a hand on his shoulder. "We, Class," She called attention to her, "Are going to be practicing all the spells we know that can be useful in a fair duel with out the intent of hurting your opponent just disarming them. Be creative in ways to disarm your opponent, certain hexes and jinxes can be useful even when you are dueling against somebody with more knowledge or power, even sometimes, both."

Malfoy scoffed, "There's no such thing as a fair duel."

"Only you, as an opponent, can decide that."

"Its true. No matter what, one or the other person will have more knowledge or power then the other, its not considered fair."

"Do you feel you and Mr. Potter would fare in a fair duel."

Malfoy eyed Harry. "No. I have far more knowledge in dueling then he does."

"Do you agree with this, Mr. Potter?" Professor Duncan asked.

"If you wish me to concur with him, then your out of luck, but nor will I argue because no matter what I say neither of us will be proven right or wrong."

"How do you suppose that?" She asked

"Only way would be for a fair duel to take place and in recent years Malfoy has always cheated."

"You two have dueled in the past?" She asked with raised eyebrows

Harry shrugged.

"Well, why don't the two of you show us a fair duel then?" She said pulling her wand from the inside of a pocket form her robes.

Malfoy scoffed, "Haven't I already said that it wouldn't be a fair duel?"

"Your both of the same age and year. You both have had the same teachers, good and the bad-"

"To be really fair though, Professor. Not that I don't think Harry can't beat ferret boy over there," Ron said quickly, "But, Malfoy comes from a pure-blood family whom have been teaching him magic since he was young, including dark arts no doubt." Ron said

Harry smirked but said nothing. Malfoy's 11 years of magic before school didn't compare to what Harry had learnt over the past summer.

Malfoy smirked, "As I said-"

"I think Mr. Potter should have a say in this, don't you think?" Professor Duncan suggested looking towards Harry.

Harry let his gaze wonder to the smug Malfoy and he carefully considered his options. "I believe perhaps a duel would be appropriate,"

"Harry." Hermione hissed, her eyes wide.

"Do you want a second?" Professor Duncan asked Malfoy, who in turn scanned the crowd and nodded jerkily towards Nott who gave triumphant smile and stepped from the wall and purposefully towards the Slytherin.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry glanced towards Ron who was disheveled and slightly whacked, over Seamus, Dean, and Neville. And then his gaze landed on Hermione and the back to the teacher and coolly said, "I don't need a second." and stepped towards the platform and hoisted himself atop of it.

Malfoy snorted and Ron groaned.

"If one opponent has a second, the other must also, Mr. Potter." Professor Duncan said

Harry shrugged, "I won't need one, but if you really feel like it will make a difference then Hermione will be my second."

Draco let out another snort and rolled his eyes.

"Have you turned into a pig or something?" Neville asked Malfoy who shot him a glare in return which sent poor Neville cowering slightly against the wall.

"I thought he was a ferret." Dean laughed.

"Among other things." Ron muttered.

"Alright, Mr. Malfoy. Please step up to the platform and stand in front of Mr. Potter."

When both Harry and Malfoy where in standing on the platform Professor Duncan stood between them. "I'm sure you both know the rules of a fair duel, you shall bow to each other and then retreat down the platform and then when both of you are ready you shall begin on the count of three. No curse, jinx, or spell will be cast or that person will be disqualified and then the other will automatically win. In order to win the duel you must disarm your opponent. In case of any injury you may sub with your second. Once your second is in, they can not be removed. If the second gets injured as well then the duel is also over. No illegal curses are to be cast and if any are it will result in an expulsion or other means of punishment decided by the head of your house and the headmaster." She looked at both of them, "Opponents bow. Please take your positions."

Harry turned on his heal and took the amounted paces back and turned and stood in his stance as Malfoy mirrored him.

"On the count of 3, you may begin." Professor Duncan said stepping off the platform, "1...2...3."

"Exarmo!" Harry shouted a disarming spell as Malfoy yelled, "Tripudio." which was a powerful curse associated with the jelly legs jinx. The curses bounced off one another and depleted. Harry smirked and silently performed 'Restio funis'. And Ropes flew from his wand and wrapped around Malfoy in a wild manor.

Malfoy struggled but freed his arm and counted the curse with an agitated 'expedio' which disentangled him and he glared at Harry. "Iacio retrograde!" Malfoy yelled a foreign curse at Harry and he threw up a shield but it managed to hit Harry's sheild a second after it went up. If Malfoy was more powerful it would have sent Harry spiraling into a wall.

"Turbo gelos." Harry shot out next and a cold steam of air flew towards Malfoy and Ice clung to his feet and started to spread up his legs. Harry flicked his wand and Malfoy's Arms snapped to his side.

Without hand movements Malfoy tried to stop the freezing by shouting out random spells. Harry was about to disarm Malfoy when Malfoy undid the curse and lost no time yelling his next spell 'caucus funestus'.

Harry blocked the blinding spell with an easy 'scandalum'.

Malfoy grew frustrated and started to send an allotted amount of curses at Harry one after another, Harry dodge them and preformed a few shielding spells and then he used 'perverto' and Malfoy flung upside down and then dropped.

Malfoy shook his hair out of his eyes and yelled an angry, "Animus compater!"

Harry's eyes widened and he stepped back from Malfoy and a foggy image started to appear which took the form of Sirius Black. Students gasps where heard around the room and Hermione's whisper of, "Sirius." along with Ron's, "Bloody hell!" Were lost among it.

The still foggy Sirius reached out his hand towards Harry and smiled, "Harry. How much you have grown." Thoughts fled Harry's mind as he stared at his godfather but gained his senses and realized the meaning of the curse.

Harry angrily flicked his wand and yelled out, "Flunginious defeito!" And the image of his godfather disappeared and Harry added, "Distingino Manitics." And Malfoy was thrown back into the nearest wall. Malfoy struggled to get up and touched the side of his mouth that was dripping blood along his pale face. Malfoy walked towards Harry with a glare in place.

No longer wanting to bait Malfoy and wanting to finish he said 'nebulous' which caused the room to fill with fog and then he used 'conturbo incondite' which made his voice sound as if it was behind Malfoy, "You shouldn't have done that." Harry said lowly so Malfoy only heard it.

"Where are you Potter!" Malfoy yelled whipping around in circles not knowing where Harry was.

"Fragilitas arma," Harry said finally and Malfoy's wand flew to his hand.

The Fog lifted in seconds and Professor Duncan looked shocked. Harry tossed her Malfoy's wand and walked off the platform without a glance to Malfoy.

"Thank you… Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy." She said her voice was a bit shaky. "I think that's all for today. See you next class." Harry walked to his bag and picked it up and waited for Hermione to grab hers and then without another word they left the class room.

"That was bloody brilliant, Mate." Ron said laughingly.

"Reckless. That's what it was. I shouldn't have done it." Harry said heading towards Transfiguration.

"I can't believe he performed that spell… I just can't believe it." Hermione said shaking her head.

"Why not? He's Malfoy. He'll stop at nothing to win." Harry said

"What spell? Are you talking about the one with… Sirius?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Yes." Hermione said, "He shouldn't know it, I don't understand how he did know it. It's not a common spell for death eaters, not even one that would be useful really."

"What does it do?" Ron asked feeling stupid.

"I wouldn't even know if I hadn't borrowed one of Harry's books," She said, "It a spell to bring back a memory of a godfather. It's made just for that. A godfather. It's Latin meaning memory combined with godfather."

"Why would someone create a spell for that?" Ron asked.

"It was created by a man named Marcus Definglo, his daughter lost her godfather in a battle. The daughter wouldn't mention the day and Marcus wanted to know what happened. The spell was meant to remember an exact memory, he was killed before he could perfect the spell." Hermione told Ron.

"Oh."

"Like I said, I wonder why he even knew it." She said.

"It would be funny if the death eaters learnt it just to use on Harry as a advantage and he just blew it."

Harry looked to Ron sharply.

"I mean, it wouldn't be funny. It would be horrible." Ron said swiftly

"I think you may be right." Hermione said.

Harry sighed, "Great, now I have to worry about seeing my dead godfather on the battle field on top of trying to save the Wizarding world."

"Harry?" Ron asked after a second of silence

"Yeah Ron?"

"Why didn't you just conjure Ted and finish the duel quickly?"

"Because, I wanted Malfoy to understand how little power he actually possesses. I wanted him to see that in the large scheme of things he means nothing. He needs to realize that before he gets in further then he already is." Harry ran a hand threw his hair, "Anyway, what would happen if I conjured Ted? He'd probably eat Malfoy and I'd get expelled. It's not likely I can use, 'I think he's a death eater' as an excuse. He may not even have the mark. Also, even if the Death eaters know I can create Ted, I don't think I want the whole school to know it too. I'll never be left alone. Another reason why I didn't just end the duel quickly, it would have seem suspicious. I'd like to keep some things to myself." Harry walked to the Transfiguration classroom. "I should have just said No and none of this would have happened."

Hermione grabbed his arm before he entered the classroom, "Yeah, but if you hadn't dueled him then you would have never had known that they knew of that spell. Now you can be prepared for it when it comes."

Harry nodded, "Your right I suppose."

Ron smiled slightly, "Well, that and we know if that spell was meant to be a surprise then Malfoy isn't a favorite amongst the Death Eaters right now."

ROTGLROTGLROTGLROTGLROTGL

"Could you pass me the sandwiches please, Lavender?" Hermione asked after she sat down next to Harry.

"You know Hermione, you should try eating salad more, it's better for you then all that food you eat." Shocked silence followed Pavartie inadvertent insult, "What?" She demanded when everybody looked at her.

"Did you just call her fat?" Ginny demanded outraged.

"Of course not." Lavender answered, "She was only commenting on how many calories Hermione must consume. Especially being friends with two boys."

"What does that have to do with my eating habits?" Hermione demanded, insulted.

"Well, they don't care what and how much they eat. It's your only influence. If you were friends with girls, take us for example." Pavartie said waving a hand between her and Lavender, "You'd be more aware of what you eat. Because the other girl will be looking out for you."

Hermione opened her mouth to comment when Katie Bell stormed into the Great Hall. "Where the hell is he?" She demanded to nobody in particular, scaring a small first year that had been in her way. When spotting the group her eyes narrowed, "_You!_" She said as if she just found out who put bubblegum in her shoe.

Harry glanced at Ron and then to Hermione. "What'd I do?" Harry asked in a hushed tone.

Katie Bell stomped over to the trio with eyes planted firmly on Harry. "Do you hate me? Did you think of the ways you could make my life a living hell? Did you just suddenly think over the summer, 'Hey! Lets make Katie bonkers!' Because guess WHAT?! THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"

By now, if not they hadn't been before, everybody was staring. Teachers sat in shocked silence and nobody came to restrain her. If she happened to pounce, Harry was pretty sure he was screwed.

"Why, Good afternoon, Katie. What can I do for you?" Harry said in a fake cheery voice.

"G-go-good AFTERNOON!? That's all you have to say for yourself?" She shot out in rage, "I mean _SERIOUSLY_! Not even an explanation?"

Harry eyed her, "May I ask for what I need an explanation for?"

Her eyes grew wide, and she shook her head in disbelief "You are the biggest wanker I have ever encountered, I mean, I thought you were nice. But now, now I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being." She stared at him waiting for him to react and as if fed up, she threw her hands towards the ceiling and growled, which happened to sound like an irritated screech.

"What exactly did Harry do?" Ron asked cautiously

"This wanker right here decided he didn't want to be captain, he thought to himself, 'Hey, lets give Katie captainship on top of N.E.W.Ts, lets see if she spontaneously combusts' but then probably thinks, 'What more can I do to make that go faster? Oh! I KNOW, I shouldn't even return to the team this year!'" Katie evened her breathing, seemingly calming herself, only to address Harry in a calm, sweat voice, "Harry? Do you know what you've done to me? You have made me go mad, I could be locked away because of you. Here I was, sitting in Transfiguration, already thinking this year was going to be the death of me, and then I was being pulled aside my McGonagall telling me that I was captain. I was ecstatic, that being a given, because you were obviously going to be Captain, not me, I was so surprised. Imagine my shock when McGonagall told me exactly why I was captain and not you. What you were leaving me with. Do you know what your leaving me with?"

"Er-" Harry started uncertainly

"Oh! No need to answer, I'll just tell you! NOTHING! You, Harry Potter, have left me with a team worth NOTHING!"

"Hey! Wait a bloody minute-" Ron started but was cut off quickly

"Shut it, Weasley." Katie snapped, turning back to Harry. "I have 1, count them, 1 chaser, 2 beaters that can't hit worth a Knut, a replacement seeker and a keeper that has some sort of audience fright! You have left me with the worst team ever in the history of Hogwarts!" She let out another growl of frustration and stormed out of the hall.

Harry stood up and walked calmly after Katie, leaving his friends behind in the great Hall. "Katie! Wait up!" He jogged after her and caught up with her tugging her into an empty classroom.

"What?" She demanded, "Want to tell me something else to make my life worse?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Stop being dramatic. I quit the team, yes, but not because I want to make you upset, I need to set my priorities straight and Quiddittch didn't make it into the top 5. I thought you were the best person for the job, I'm sorry if I've been mistaken. If you think you can't handle it you can always hand the Captainship over to somebody else."

"You think I can't handle it!?" She demanded hysterically, "Its because I'm a girl isn't it?"

"Of course I think you can handle it, that's why I wanted you to have it. Make up your bloody mind. You women take things so out of context."

Katie glared at him, "What is that suppose to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Harry said exasperated.

"This still doesn't change the fact that you have left me with the worst bloody team ever." Katie said after a second of silence.

"You just have to rebuild the team, that's all. Tryouts are sure to bring some new prospects… if you haven't scared the potentials away with your scream-fest back in the Great Hall."

Katie sighed, "I'm going to suck as captain, I mean Wood was spectacular captain, Angelina was too. People don't listen to me."

Harry leaned against the desk, "You don't know until you try. Wood was a great captain, yeah, but he only became that way because of practice."

Katie chewed her lip, "If we lose the cup this year…" She trailed off shaking her head.

"I have an idea," Harry said slowly, "I'll help you with tryouts and then I'll train my replacement." Katie was about to protest, but Harry held up his hand to silence her, "And I'll try and bring in some outside help, okay?"

"Like who?" Katie asked unsure

"Fred and George, they owe me a favor." Harry said

Katie sighed and looked to the ceiling, "This year is going to be hell."

Harry smirked, "Yeah, well, what year isn't?"

Katie let a smile flutter across her face, "So your going to help?"

Harry nodded, "Until my assistance is no longer needed, I'll help."

Katie brushed her hair from her face, "I'm still mad at you."

Harry smiled "I can live with that."

ROTGLROTGLROTGLROTGLROTGLROTGL

Mmk, That's this chapter, it took a looong time to type it. I'm still not sure if I like it. Is it crappy? Is it too short? Not enough point? But then I know I have to Post it because I'm sure there are people outside my house with pitchforks and fire waiting for me if I don't post something. It's NOT BETA'd but I'll be reposting the beta version when it comes but I have been waiting a week for it to come and it hasn't arrived so I thought something instead of nothing would have to do. Until next chapter. Or a repost of this chapter.

I don't have a beta and I need one, anybody interested? If so go to my YahooGroup and post. Also, if you ask me questions on the group I'll answer them. Tootles


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